- One word to describe yourself: Outgoing
- Alma Mater: State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego
- Favorite book: "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss
- Favorite TV show: "House of Cards"
- Favorite movie: “The Notebook”
- Favorite hobby(ies): Photography, music and flying r/c planes
- Fun fact about yourself: He can play the bagpipes and was in a Scottish pipe band, like you see at parades, when he was in elementary school.
- What is your favorite transit system (outside of the one you work for or have worked for!) and why?: VIA Rail, because their customer service was fantastic.
Matt Donnelly inspires others to be the best that they can be. Donnelly’s dedication to his career and passion for further advancing the passenger rail industry is clearly evident in all that he does. At the age of 24, Donnelly started his career as a ticket agent and baggage handler for Amtrak in 2005, helping passengers plan their trips, booking their travel, and acting as an ambassador of Amtrak. While he was a ticket agent, he frequently took initiative to make improvements, such as painting stations and installing new Amtrak — logos he innovatively sourced from the Bear, Delaware car shops — and making repairs to baggage vehicles.
Donnelly became a management associate in 2006, and continued to lead initiatives and projects, including the development of a comprehensive orientation program for what was the Amtrak GO TEAM, which was responsible for responding to major incident involving multiple injuries or fatalities to assist passengers and their families.
In his current role, Donnelly is the lead brand communications specialist for Amtrak, ensuring that Amtrak’s image and brand is conveyed in an impactful and appropriate way. Donnelly brings his passion into his daily job and that is evident in all that he does. Through Donnelly’s efforts, resources for color schemes, templates and branding guidelines have been created and/or updated to be more user friendly, improving Amtrak’s public image. He has also contributed to important brand work such as new Tone of Voice guidelines that will Amtrak’s employees, State Partners and agencies communicate in a consistent and contemporary style. In Donnelly’s current role, he is also responsible for merchandising efforts, which includes the online Amtrak store, traditional sales events, and licensing efforts. He modernized event sales by implementing a point of sale system that provides critical business analytics and up-to-date PCI security compliance that provides fast and secure customer transactions. He expanded the merchandise product mix to feature branded items for Amtrak fans of all ages, with the development of Amtrak’s own line of wooden toy trains, and highly customized special products such as a limited edition scale model of Amtrak’s Veterans tribute P42 that supports the hiring goal of 25 percent of new hires being veterans. Merchandise sales have nearly doubled since he took over responsibility.
Even when he is not officially on the job, Donnelly continues to be an ambassador for Amtrak. He spends his spare time as an Operations Lifesaver authorized volunteer (OLAV), teaching elementary students how to practice safety around railroads. He has presented numerous times at schools in Maryland, and mentors others so that they can do the same. His efforts and dedication make a contribution every day to railroad safety in the United States. From 2012-2014, Donnelly served as the Operation Lifesaver National Advisory Committee representative for all of Amtrak. Donnelly also keeps current on his qualifications as a Passenger Conductor, and still volunteers as a member of the Incident Response Team (formerly the GO TEAM) as a family care liaison, assisting families in their times of need.
"I believe passenger rail is essential to America, and enjoy playing a role in providing a quality transportation service for our customers."
"I’ve been interested in air and rail transportation since I can remember. I met many great people at Amtrak during my formative years that drew me to pursuing a career here.
"I like a challenge, and the challenges are plentiful in this arena be it political, funding, operational, etc."
"There’s nothing like firsthand experience. If you get an opportunity to visit another area in your organization and spend some time learning about how it works, take it."
