Brett Sebastian joined GoRail in August 2019 and oversees its operations in the South-Central United States and Arizona. Brett has worked in public policy over the past several years in Washington D.C., Austin, and Oklahoma City where he has acted as an advocate for the infrastructure, healthcare, and construction industries.

A former journalist who covered several state sessions of the Oklahoma Legislature, Brett has previously worked on Senate, Attorney General, and Gubernatorial campaigns in Texas. He is a Texas native and received a B.S. in Geography from Texas A&M University before earning a J.D. from South Texas College of Law. Brett writes historical fiction and enjoys cycling, hiking, and running with his wife Alisha and their two dogs Ruby and Jasper.

Nate Kaplan has been an active player on the political scene from coast to coast, with a background in local, state and federal elections. He served as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts State Senate before working in Boston’s Trial Court system. At the age of 24, Kaplan ran for the office of state representative in his hometown in Central Massachusetts and after a landslide victory, he became the youngest candidate in that district’s history to receive a major party nomination. Kaplan’s passion for politics continued to thrive after he relocated to Los Angeles. He founded a 501c3 nonprofit, SeePolitical, to educate the electorate by producing and distributing unbiased animations to heighten civic awareness and explain the electoral process.

Kaplan received a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Southern California while working as a communications director, legislative director, and district director for the Los Angeles City Council, where he worked on issues of transportation, social policy, economic development, land use, public safety, sustainable cities, affordable housing, and policies to improve the quality of life for communities in California. As a seasoned public affairs professional, Kaplan is often invited to guest lecture and moderate panels on a host of public policy topics.

Betsy Cantwell leads communications strategy and activities for GoRail, including earned, digital, and social media. She enjoys making rail policy issues accessible to the leaders and communities they matter to, and learning more about railroads every day. Before joining GoRail in 2015, she previously served as the assistant director of public affairs for George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Her prior work has covered a breadth of communications arenas—from writing and designing publications to traditional media relations to video production.

Betsy has a B.A. in political communication and an M.A. in global communication from George Washington University. After many years living in the DMV region, she now resides in her home state of New Jersey with her husband and two sons, where they enjoy exploring the outdoors and playing with Duplo trains.

Russ McGurk is president of GoRail, which he co-founded in 2004. McGurk has worked on grassroots campaigns for the freight rail industry since 1997. With over 30 years of management, policy and communications experience on Capitol Hill, in state government and on political campaigns, he believes deeply in the value of constituent input to creating sound public policy. A Rhode Island native, he lives in Washington, DC with his wife and family.

Emily Traiforos joined GoRail in March 2006 and oversees its operations in the Upper Midwest. Prior to GoRail, she worked in the Strategic Planning and Development Office at an international non-profit in Washington, D.C. Traiforos has volunteered and worked on several political campaigns, interned in the U.S. Senate, and holds a B.S. in political science from Arizona State University.

Christy Sammon joined GoRail in May 2015. She has 10 years of experience in the governmental relations field. Previously, she served as the federal legislative affairs director at two trade associations. Sammon also spent many years as a professional fundraiser, leading campaigns for clients in higher education and the non-profit sector, as well as political candidates at every level. She is a Georgia native and earned a B.S. in political science from West Georgia College. Sammon and her husband Tom have been married for 25 years and have two grown sons, Steven and Daniel. She enjoys spending time with family, reading and travel.

Michael Gaynor manages the field staff and operations for GoRail. He brings two decades of political experience to his position, having served as a congressional staffer, political consultant, and public relations director to a national non-profit. Gaynor has taught campaign schools across the nation and consulted for numerous congressional and statewide campaigns, levies, and local municipal elections. He has assisted clients in the business, transportation, agriculture, and environmental sectors. A graduate of the University of Dayton, he also attended the RNC Campaign Management College. Gaynor and his wife, Elizabeth, have two sons, Nathaniel and Collin, and live in Columbus, Ohio.