Rail Passengers Association Welcomes New Board Members

by Madison Butler, Communications Manager

As we wrap up coverage of the 2023 Rail Nation: DC Advocacy Summit, we’d like to honor the newest members of our Board of Directors. Tom Compson, Alexander Ivanoff, and Gary Lanman will join the Board and serve two years committed to enhancing our advocacy and providing exemplification of the purpose of our Association as they represent the oldest and largest passenger advocacy network.

Pictured below is Board Chair Meredith Richards, presenting new members with their onboarding documents. When asked about the new board and overall time spent at the conference, Richards stated, “I am so thrilled to see this year of transformative growth for the Rail Passengers Association. We have strived to commit to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy passed by the council. Adding another younger board member, and two from less represented parts of the country, is a great step towards our DEI goals. I am so honored to represent this Association as we continue on the path towards professionalism and dignified advocacy for all Passengers in the United States.”

We asked the new Board Members about their experience and what inspired them to run for the board. These are their stories:

Tom Compson, Texas

(Appeared on 66% of ballots cast)

I’m a life-long rail fan and have belonged to the Association since 2009 (on the Council since 2021). I am passionate about the role passenger rail can and should play in making our nation’s transportation system more sustainable, convenient, safe and equitable. I’m excited about the new opportunities created by the IIJA/BIL to finally build out our network. But I’m also mindful of the challenges in making that happen. My leadership positions in local community and advocacy groups as well as my professional career in the pipeline industry have given me valuable perspective on what it takes to make meaningful change happen - passion, tempered by patience, perseverance and positivity - as well as the value of developing and nurturing mutually beneficial relationships with diverse stakeholders. I was born and raised in Ohio and have since lived in southern Illinois, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas, and we now also live part-time in my wife’s family homestead near Traverse City, Michigan.

Having lived in various regions of the USA, and ridden a variety of trains both here and in Europe, have given me a broad geographic perspective as well as a clear understanding of our vast need for significant improvement in passenger rail service. I believe my experience will serve me well as a Board member guiding RPA’s efforts to advance its mission to provide more, better passenger rail service to more people in more places, as set forth in the recently approved strategic plan.

Alexander "Sasha" Ivanoff, New York

(Appeared on 45% of ballots cast)



I bring an "outsider on the insider" perspective to the Board and add some diversity. As far as I'm aware, I am the only Board member with a disability. I wanted to join the board to offer a Council-oriented voice on the Board, and I want to be a voice for the membership. Before I started on the Board, I was the Northeast Division Liaison since 2019 and a Council Representative from New York since 2016. I am a 2012 graduate of SUNY Potsdam and currently work for a major Buffalo-based bank.

Gary Lanman, Oklahoma

(Appeared on 41% of ballots cast)

My name is Gary Lanman and I have been a council member for Oklahoma and have held this office for about 12 years. I grew up in western Oklahoma and attended Navy OCS in Newport, Rhode Island, and worked in Great Lakes, Illinois, and then moved on to Maryland and then Texas. I then worked at Conoco and established the computer education center in Ponca City, Oklahoma. I got the bug to work for a better passenger rail system with our ongoing effort to expand the Heartland Flyer train north into Kansas and to connect with the Amtrak national system. In the Association, I’ve been a member of the finance committee for many years and was involved in the creation of the strategic investment fund that was approved by the board. I hope to continue working on the finance committee to ensure the future of the Rail Passenger Association.

We look forward to the work of these committed advocates! If you have an interest in joining the Board of Directors, Council, or filling a volunteer role, please reach out today to see if you may qualify. Thank you to all who participated in the process this year, especially those who joined remotely to cast their votes. We truly owe our gratitude to the members of the Candidate Certification Committee for their volunteer work conducting the Association elections with speed, and integrity.