People on the move: Metrolink and HDR

Metrolink and HDR have made new appointments to their respective leadership teams. 

Metrolink 

Metrolink has appointed Hilary Konczal as its new chief safety, security and compliance officer. In this role, Konczal will also serve as the organization’s compliance officer for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-mandated initiatives and the Americans with Disabilities Act while fostering a proactive safety culture that permeates all levels of the organization. 

Konczal joins Metrolink from Chicago’s Metra, where he spent more than three decades in progressively senior roles, ultimately ascending to the post of chief regulatory compliance officer, responsible for safeguarding passengers, employees and contractors, as well as overseeing public safety initiatives along Metra’s 487-mile system.   

“Hilary brings nearly 35 years of hands-on rail safety experience accrued through a broad array of positions and perspectives,” said Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle. “Thanks to his background in maintenance and operations, Hilary has seen firsthand how employees and contractors at different levels and in different functions interact with potential hazards every day in a working railroad environment, and as a product of Metra, he understands the unique challenges that come with the size and scale of our 545-mile system. Safety is foundational at Metrolink, and we could not be more excited to add Hilary’s voice and expertise to our executive leadership team.” 

Among other responsibilities, as chief safety, security and compliance officer, Konczal will spearhead the development, implementation and evaluation of Metrolink’s comprehensive safety programs, ensuring alignment with federal regulations and industry best practices. He will oversee security operations across the system, including risk mitigation strategies and partnerships with contracted law enforcement and private security providers. Konczal will also drive education and outreach, equipping staff and contractors with essential knowledge and tools while strengthening working relationships with community stakeholders and emergency preparedness personnel throughout Southern California. 

“Metrolink is in the midst of an exciting period of transformation, but its North Star approach to safety hasn’t and won’t change,” Konczal said. “Following the agency’s largest service expansion in history last fall, prioritizing safety is more important than ever. As Metrolink continues to evolve and grow, I’m honored to lead the safety, security and compliance team into this new era. Together, we will build on the strong culture of safety already in place to ensure Metrolink customers, employees and the communities we serve can always trust in our unwavering commitment to their well-being.” 

Before being appointed Metra’s chief regulatory compliance officer, Konczal served as chief safety and environmental compliance officer from 2015-24, and he previously held the roles of mechanical shop laborer, conductor, trainmaster, security administrator and director of safety. He earned World Safety Organization (WSO) safety and security certifications at the technician, manager and director levels. A respected industry leader, Konczal is also a highly regarded associate instructor for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Safety Institute, where he educates colleagues from across the country on FRA system safety regulations and Federal Transit Administration safety management systems. 

Konczal sits on the boards of the WSO, the DuPage Railroad Safety Council and Operation Lifesavers’ Illinois Chapter. He is a member of the FRA Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, as well as the American Association of Railroads Safety and Operations Committee. From 2016-2020, Konczal chaired the American Public Transportation Association’s Commuter Rail Safety and Security Committee. He also previously served on the board of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force. 

HDR 

Becca Nagorsky has joined HDR to lead the firm’s global transit planning practice. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Nagorsky will collaborate across HDR’s global rail and transit markets to develop a vision and goals that will align HDR's resources with the needs of its clients and the communities they serve. Her work will span all transit modes, including paratransit, fixed-route bus, express bus, bus rapid transit, light rail, subway, commuter rail, intercity passenger rail and more. 

“Our industry is in an era of enormous investment in transit expansion and is facing the opportunity — and also the challenge — of delivering on the public’s expectations of us to make these projects genuinely improve people’s quality of life,” Nagorsky said. “I am eager to be part of the HDR team providing planning expertise on many of these projects.”  

Nagorsky has more than 17 years of experience in global transit planning since beginning her career in Jerusalem working on a bus network redesign to support the opening of the city’s first light-rail line. Nagorsky has extensive experience developing transit network plans and is particularly invested in improving network design by using her knowledge of how people move through a transit system. 

Most recently, Nagorsky served as the vice president for stations planning at Metrolinx, a regional transit agency serving the Greater Toronto region. In this role, she led long-range planning and visioning for heavy rail and subway stations with a focus on station access. She also led the development of the initial business case justification for the Ontario Line, which is now under construction and which includes a strong commitment to leveraging the benefits of rail to boost the development of transit-oriented communities.  

“Becca’s professional transit planning experience coupled with her passion for transit and cycling provide a strong foundation and deep understanding of the needs of our clients,” said HDR Transportation Planning Director Santanu Roy. “This foundation will prove critical in supporting HDR in expanding transit planning services to transform our global communities for the better.”