Dr. Robert E. Martínez, Vice President Business Development, Norfolk Southern Corporation will present “The Renaissance of Rail for Kentucky & the Nation” as part of Civil Engineering Class 533 on Friday from 09:00 till 09:50 am in room 112 Raymond Building.  Dr. Martinez will concentrate on the business aspects of the rail industry.

Dr.  Martínez is a graduate of Columbia University and holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.  During the first Bush Administration, he served at the U.S. Department of Transportation as Deputy Administrator for the Maritime Administration and was promoted by President George H. W. Bush to Associate Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Director of the Office of Intermodalism.

Dr. Martínez began working for Norfolk Southern in 1993 but left in 1994 to become the Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia under Governor George Allen.  As Secretary of Transportation, he had oversight over the Virginia Department of Transportation (highways), the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, the Virginia Department of Aviation, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and Virginia Port Authority.

Dr. Martínez returned to Norfolk Southern in early 1998, where he now serves as Vice President Business Development.  In this position, Dr. Martínez has oversight for international business development, including NS’ Mexican subsidiary, Norfolk Southern Mexicana; the Industrial Development Department; the ports on the NS network; and for the Market Research and Economics group