Press Release
Source: United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.
The board of United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc. has selected a new slate of officers for the nationally known think tank.
Austin M. Coates of Jacksonville, Florida, previously president of the organization, has taken the title of Chairman.
J. Bruce Richardson, also of Jacksonville, has been named president.
Andrew C. Selden of Minneapolis remains vice president of law and policy.
Randy Schlotthauer of Fullerton, California also retains his title as vice president of marketing and government relations.
Russ Jackson of the San Joaquin Valley in California; Jon Messier of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Dr. Bill Hamilton of Austin, Texas; and William Lindley of Scottsdale, Arizona remain vice presidents of their respective areas.
Mr. Coates, who celebrates his 69th birthday this month, has expressed a desire to semi-retire and relinquish some of the day-to-day duties of the organization. Highly respected in Washington, Mr. Coates will still be at the forefront of planning and implementing Washington strategies and efforts. However, he is planning to curtail much of his traveling.
Mr. Coates founded URPA in 1984, and quickly joined forces with Mr. Selden, Mr. Schlotthauer, and the late Dr. Adrian Herzog and the late Byron Nordberg. Together, the five formed a powerful force in passenger railroad politics that has been felt throughout the nation.
Mr. Richardson became a part of URPA in 1988, and has been active in its public relations and public policy issues. He is a former consultant to Amtrak, and heads his own consulting, marketing, and public relations firm in Jacksonville. Many of his clients are in the travel and transportation fields. In 1994, Mr. Richardson chaired a meeting in the White House for the purpose of discussing the privatization of Amtrak. Prior to that, he led a team of consultants working in Canada on a study of VIA Rail Canada to determine if that railroad could be privatized and operate profitably.
Mr. Selden is a nationally known attorney in the Briggs & Morgan law firm in Minneapolis. His specialty is franchise law. Mr. Selden is the creator of the Selden Plan, currently the only plan developed outside of Amtrak that defines the role of passenger rail beyond as it stands today. The Selden Plan is currently under discussion in Congress and elsewhere in Washington. Mr. Selden participated as a panelist in the Transportation Research Board’s 80th annual meeting in Washington in January, and testified before the Surface Transportation Board early in April regarding major rail consolidation procedures. A prolific writer, Mr. Selden has authored numerous rail related articles and white papers, and was dubbed the Dean of Amtrak Critics by Trains Magazine.
Mr. Schlotthauer is the owner of Slotsy Tours and Travel in Fullerton, CA., and is a former private car owner. His agency is a constant Amtrak Golden Spike agency, and has also operated packaged tour programs for Amtrak and the Walt Disney Company. In 1995, in conjunction with the late Dr. Adrian Herzog, he was the author of the San Diegan marketing plan commissioned by Amtrak that foretold the development of what today is known as the Surfliners. Mr. Schlotthauer has been involved through the years with a number of projects with Amtrak. For 17 years, Mr. Schlotthauer taught students learning how to use computer reservation systems at Fullerton College.
Mr. Jackson is editor and publisher of the Western Rail Passenger Review, and is a retired college professor. Mr. Jackson’s publication is one of the fastest growing publications regarding rail issues in the country.
Mr. Lindley is URPA’s web master. He created and maintains the organization’s web site and contributes to the organizations research project. Mr. Lindley owns his own web design firm, and is also President of the Arizona Association of Rail Passengers.
All of the officers serve on a volunteer basis, without compensation.