Betsy Cantwell is Vice President at GoRail, where she leads the organization’s advocacy and communications strategy to build public and political support for freight rail. Her work spans earned media, digital campaigns, grassroots mobilization, and message development—aimed at making freight rail policy accessible and compelling to the communities it impacts most.
Betsy oversees Rail Champions, GoRail’s grassroots program empowering citizen advocates to speak up on federal rail issues, and drives engagement through regular programming for local leaders—including webinars and events that highlight rail’s role in economic development, safety, and sustainability.
Since joining GoRail in 2015, Betsy has played a key role in evolving the organization’s communications and expanding its reach across local and national audiences. Before that, she served as assistant director of public affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Her career has included a wide range of communications work, from media relations and publication design to event management and video production.
She holds 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, Betsy now resides in her home state of New Jersey with her husband and two sons, where they enjoy exploring the outdoors and playing with trains.
