Amtrak names ex-Norfolk Southern chief as new CEO

Amtrak announced that it has named Charles W. “Wick” Moorman as its next president/CEO. Moorman, retired chairman, CEO, and president of Norfolk Southern Corp. (NS), will lead the company, effective September 1, 2016, in the next fiscal year.

Moorman, a native of Hattiesburg, Miss., comes to Amtrak after more than 40 years at NS where he rose from management trainee to CEO and chairman of the Board of Directors. Having worked with NS from the ground up, Moorman gained an appreciation for the many facets of railroad operations and used this knowledge to modernize the way NS conducted business, served customers and worked with communities.

A graduate of Georgia Tech and Harvard Business School, Moorman serves on the boards of Duke Energy Corp., Chevron Corp., the Virginia chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and the Georgia Tech Foundation.

Moorman succeeds current CEO Joe Boardman, who announced his intention to retire last fall. "Under [Boardman's] leadership, Amtrak delivered record ridership, introduced a series of safety initiatives and modernized its fleet," said Anthony Coscia, chairman of the Board of Directors of Amtrak.

“It is an honor and privilege to take on the role of CEO at Amtrak and I look forward to working with its dedicated employees to find ways to provide even better service to our passengers and the nation,” said Moorman. “At Norfolk Southern, our team fostered change by placing a solid emphasis on performance across all aspects of our business which helped develop a stronger safety and service culture throughout the company. I look forward to advancing those same goals at Amtrak and helping to build a plan for future growth.”

Moorman currently holds securities of a rail carrier. Amtrak will ensure that any conflict will be avoided as is required by federal law.