Transtar's Leadership Meet the driving force behind Transtar's success - our accomplished leadership team.

Jonathan G. Carnes

President and Chief Executive Officer

In Feb. 2012, he joined Transtar as General Manager and CEO, later serving as President of the Transtar Companies with USS until July 2021. He became Transtar’s President in Aug. 2021 and CEO in Feb 2023. Previously, Mr. Carnes held roles including President and Chairman at the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, GM at NKCR (an OmniTRAX Inc. company), and various positions at CSX. He holds a bachelor’s from the University of N. Florida and an EMBA from the University of Pitt.

Matthew Fearing

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary

Transtar’s Senior VP, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary since U. S. Steel’s divestiture in 2021, previously served as Senior Counsel in the U.S. Steel Legal Department for over a decade. His legal career began at the global law firm K&L Gates. Mr. Fearing holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Duquesne University School of Law.

Andrew Curran

Chief Financial Officer

Joined Transtar in April 2022, became CFO in Feb. 2023. Previously CFO at Katahdin Railcar Services, VP at Central Maine & Quebec Railway, instrumental in its sale to Canadian Pacific in 2019. Earlier, held leadership roles at Campbell Soup Company in Supply Chain, Corporate Audit, and Finance. Holds a B.A. in Financial Economics from Saint Anselm College.

J.W. Burwinkel

Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer

Senior VP and Chief Commercial Officer at Transtar in Aug. 2022. He has been with the company since Oct. 2006, holding diverse positions in the railroad sector. His experience includes multiple marketing and supply chain roles, with his most recent role being Director of Logistics Services Operations at U.S. Steel. Mr. Burwinkel holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown and an MBA from Point Park University.

Jason C. Baginski

Vice President Labor Relations & Human Resources

Vice President of Labor Relations & Human Resources, rejoined Transtar in Aug. 2021. Served as Director of Labor & Workforce Relations at Highmark Health and held roles in labor and employee relations within both Class I and short line railroads. He is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, possesses a bachelor’s degree in political science, an MBA, and is currently pursuing a Juris Doctorate at Duquesne University School of Law.

J. Alex Lang

Chief Information Officer

He joined Transtar in Sep. 2021. Alex previously served in IT and rail operations leadership positions with the short line holding company Carload Express, Inc.  Previously, Alex worked for 14 years at Carnegie Mellon University in a variety of IT leadership roles.  Alex earned a Bachelors degree from Lebanon Valley College and a MS in IT Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Scott Conner

Vice President Operations

Scott Conner was named Vice President of Operations in August 2021. He joined Transtar in September 2017 where he led efforts to improve safety and operational performance. Prior to joining Transtar he held various leadership positions during his 22-year career with CSX Transportation. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern College and attended the Harvard Business Leadership Program.

Matt O’Kray

Vice President Commercial

Vice President Commercial joined Transtar in Sept. 2022. He is a proud member of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers and currently serves as Vice President. He has held multiple commercial leadership roles with CSX, Canadian Pacific Railway, Genesee & Wyoming and the L.B. Foster Company. Mr. O’Kray earned a Bachelors degree from Western Illinois University and received a MS from Northern Illinois University.

Jeff Claney

Vice President Engineering and Asset Management

VP of Engineering & Asset Management since 1988, began in IT. As Director of Asset Management since 2006, he oversees purchasing, inventory, real estate, and non-core assets. He also worked in IT and Global Procurement at U. S. Steel during Transtar’s subsidiary years. He was part of the Kennametal Global Procurement Team, focusing on capital procurement and raw materials. He holds a bachelor’s from IUP and an MBA from the University of Pitt.