Office of Rail Transportation staff directory
Tammy Nicholson - director, Office of Rail Transportation
E-mail: tamara.nicholson@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1052
- Manages activities of the Rail Office.
- Liaison to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
- Member American Association of State Highway & Transportation. Official's (AASHTO) Standing Committee on Rail Transportation (SCORT) .
Steve Banks - rail agreements manager
E-mail: steve.banks@dot.iowa.govPhone: (515) 239-1088
- Brokers the necessary agreements with railroads when a primary highway construction project involves the rail transportation system.
Lindon Bowen - track inspector
E-mail: lindon.bowen@dot.iowa.govPhone: (515) 239-1058
- Inspects railroad track and infrastructure in the southern portion of Iowa for compliance with the Federal Railroad Administration's Track Safety Standards Compliance Manual.
- Investigates railroad accidents under Federal Railroad Administration guidance.
James Gibson - crossing safety manager
E-mail: james.gibson@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1549
- Manages the Federal-Aid Highway/Rail Crossing Safety Program, which funds improvements to install new crossing signal devices, upgrade existing signals, and to provide low-cost improvements; such as increased sight distance, widened crossings, increased signal lens size, or crossing closures.
Lisa Husmann - crossing safety assistant
E-mail: lisa.husmann@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-233-7885
- Assists in administration of the Federal-Aid Highway/Rail Crossing Safety Program.
- Updates the Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Inventory and serves as liaison to the Iowa DOT's Office of Transportation Data who maintains the Inventory.
Mary Jo Key - grade crossing surface repair manager
E-mail: mary.jo.key@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1108
- Manages the Iowa Grade Crossing Surface Repair Program that provides financial assistance to railroads, cities and counties to rebuild pavement surfaces at grade crossings on secondary and city road systems.
- Manages the primary gradecrossing surface repair program to rebuild the pavement surface at highway-rail grade crossings on Iowa's Primary Road System.
Zoeann Kramer - administrative assistant
E-mail: zoeann.kramer@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1491
- Manages payments for the Office of Rail Transportation.
- Assists the Iowa's grade crossing surface repair manager program.
Diane McCauley - marketing and policy administrator
E-mail: diane.mccauley@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1670
- Manages marketing and communication efforts for the Office of Rail, including this Web site.
- Liaison to the Iowa Rail Advisory Committee.
- Monitors legislative and policy issues that impact rail transportation.
Jeffrey Secora - track inspector
E-mail: jeffrey.secora@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1688
- Inspects railroad track and infrastructure in the northern portion of Iowa for compliance with the Federal Railroad Administration's. Track Safety Standards Compliance Manual.
- Investigates railroad accidents under Federal Railroad Administration guidance.
Travis Tinken - grade crossing project manager
E-mail: travis.tinken@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1876
- Schedules, coordinates and supervises construction of highway-rail crossing pavement surfaces on the state Primary Road System.
- Inspects highway-rail surface repair projects.
- Inspects crossing safety improvement projects.
Cathy Mather - secretary
E-mail: cathy.mather@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1140
- Secretary to the director's of the Office of Rail and Office of Aviation and Public Transit.
- Provides administrative support to other modal office personnel.
- Fields calls to the general Office of Rail Transportation's telephone number.
Rose Wazny - rail development manager
E-mail: roselyn.wazny@dot.iowa.govPhone: 515-239-1066
- Staff coordinator for the Iowa Rail Finance Authority (IRFA).
- Manages the Rail Revolving Loan and Grant Program, which provides assistance to businesses or railroads building or improving rail facilities.
