Todd Liebman

Todd Liebman

“Rail passenger service has reached a pivotal period, and Rail Passengers Association has had a critical and positive role in meeting the challenges and opportunities we’ve faced us over the last several years. I want to continue that forward progress”, say RPA Board Member Todd Liebman.

Todd has been President of All Aboard Arizona since 2020: making tremendous progress in advancing the interests of passenger rail in Arizona. This experience drew him to the RPA first as a National Council member and then as an RPA Board member, which led him to re-establish a Southwest Council for the RPA.

“We focus on efforts to mutually support each other throughout the Southwest and have made an impact. I was very pleased to have been invited to be a Stakeholder on the Federal Railroad Administration's Long Distance Service Study, have attended all the Southwest meetings. I have drafted and submitted comments after each meeting on behalf of All Aboard Arizona. I believe that our comments have had a hand in shaping the routes that have been proposed for the Southwest and, if implemented, will make Phoenix, the nation's fifth-largest city, a rail passenger hub.”

As an RPA Council Member, Todd served on the Bylaws Committee and spent the last two years reviewing and offering supportive changes to proposed bylaws. “Those of us who served the last two years know that there have been spirited differences of opinion on the bylaws. I was instrumental in working with parties to compromise and accomplish a double win for everyone in most cases. That is something I truly and passionately believe in; to find the win-win in situations and bring people together.”

“Railroad passengers and employees are diverse. We come from all different backgrounds, abilities, ethnicities, orientations and interests. Diversity, equity and inclusion are very important to me. All voices need to be heard. Nobody's train is more important than any other. The business passenger getting on at 30th Street in Philadelphia or the family boarding in Yuma, Arizona in the middle of the night are equally important.”

Todd is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he grew up with the Chicago & North Western's Shoreline Subdivision in his backyard. His Dad took him to ride the last passenger train on that C&NW line before Amtrak. His childhood included riding many early Amtrak trains including the Super Chief, the City of San Francisco and many corridor rides between Milwaukee and Chicago. As an adult, he has ridden almost every Amtrak route since the early 1970s, and has ridden trains throughout Europe and across Canada.

Todd is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Arts in History, the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a Juris Doctorate, and the United States Army War College with a Masters in Strategic Studies. Todd has been a practicing attorney for over 33 years. He served almost 35 years in the active Army and Army Reserve, retiring in 2018 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is a veteran of the Iraq War.

Todd currently lives in Sierra Vista, Arizona, where he is a Chief Supervisory Attorney for the U.S. Government. He has three adult children. His son is an Army veteran of service in Afghanistan, and his older daughter is currently serving in the Army National Guard. His youngest daughter recently graduated from the University of Arizona.

In his free time, Todd enjoys hiking, camping, reading and playing bass guitar.