NORFOLK, Va., March 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) today announced leadership appointments in its transformation, transportation, and law departments, effective immediately.

• Greg Comstock, formerly general manager network operations center and general manager Southern Region, is now vice president network operations.
   
• Lorri Kleine, formerly senior general counsel workforce, properties, insurance risk management, is now vice president law.
   
• Patrick Whitehead, formerly assistant vice president mechanical and general manager Northern Region, is now vice president transportation.

"These leaders have made important contributions to the company, and I am pleased to announce their well-deserved promotions," said James A. Squires, Norfolk Southern chairman, president and CEO. "Greg and Pat have played significant roles in our ongoing and successful implementation of precision scheduled railroading, and Lorri is a Norfolk Southern leader with extensive legal and external strategic governance experience. We have a deep and talented team at Norfolk Southern and we are aligned and working together to successfully execute the third phase of our operating plan to deliver significant value for our shareholders and customers."

Comstock and Whitehead bring more than 60 years of collective transportation, network, and operations experience with Norfolk Southern. Comstock and Whitehead have served as general managers of the company's Southern and Northern regions, respectively, and have proven track records of generating efficiencies and aggressively controlling costs while providing superior transportation service to customers.

In their new roles, Comstock and Whitehead will work collaboratively to execute Norfolk Southern's operating plan and achieve further efficiencies across the railroad. Comstock oversees Norfolk Southern's state-of-the-art Network Operations Center, which includes centralized dispatching as well as related service and support functions. Whitehead's responsibilities include the safe, reliable, and efficient management of transportation field operations, including execution of TOP21, the railroad's precision scheduled railroading operating plan.

Kleine has been a key member of the Norfolk Southern Law team since 1994 and has extensive experience managing complex, high-profile and sensitive legal matters. In her new role, she will oversee legal, claims, investigative, compliance, and risk management matters for the department.

In addition, Josh Raglin, formerly general manager facilities, has been appointed to the role of chief sustainability officer. In his former role, Raglin led nine of the company's forest conservation and sustainability projects. In his new role, he will be responsible for advancing the company's strategy to integrate sustainability practices into daily operations to achieve efficiencies, control costs, generate revenue, and reduce environmental impacts.

"Norfolk Southern is an industry leader in corporate social responsibility and our new chief sustainability officer role further aligns our business strategy with the interests of our stakeholders," said Squires. "Josh's experience and knowledge will be invaluable as we work to fulfill our commitment to environmental, social, and governance practices that positively impact the environment, while simultaneously supporting the growth and evolution of our company."

About Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 19,500 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern is a major transporter of industrial products, including chemicals, agriculture, and metals and construction materials. In addition, the railroad operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a principal carrier of coal, automobiles, and automotive parts.

Forward-looking statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that may be identified by the use of words like "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "consider," "project," and similar references to the future. Forward-looking statements reflect our good-faith evaluation of information currently available. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and our actual results may differ materially from those projected. Please refer to our annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC for a full discussion of those risks and uncertainties we view as most important. Forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as, a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at or by which any such performance or results will be achieved. As a result, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/norfolk-southern-announces-new-leadership-appointments-301016819.html

SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation