Watco Team Member Receives Rail Industry Honor

Tara Carpenter, director of Revenue Accounting, has been named to the annual list of “Women in Rail” by Railway Age.

“I’m so shocked I was selected,” said Carpenter. “I am sincerely honored just to be nominated by Watco for this award. My accomplishments over the past 12 years at Watco have been a collective effort, made possible by incredible support and collaboration.”

Railway Age notified its 25 honorees in October, selecting them based on “their leadership, vision, innovation and accomplishments.” Judges for the 2024 Railway Age Women in Rail awards were KellyAnne Gallagher, CEO of the Commuter Rail Coalition, and Barbara Wilson, Senior Advisor at Railroad Financial Corporation. They took note of nominees’ achievements at their companies, community involvement, and impact on the rail industry.

A leader in Watco’s Revenue Accounting department, Carpenter has worked closely with Infor-mation Technology for several years to create a new in-house system for managing interline set-tlements (agreements for sharing revenue when multiple railroads are involved in a shipment). The project is ongoing. Soon, she will begin working on an automated process to improve Watco’s in-voice management system.

Carpenter has served for nine years leading multiple task forces for Railinc, part of the American Association of Railroads that provides data and messaging for North American freight railroads. To-day, she is vice chair of Railinc’s Interline Revenue Committee and the Revenue Pipeline Task Force. The committees adopted her recent proposal to reduce the amount of testing required for companies that currently participate in the interline settlement system (ISS) but are registering a new railroad. This improvement will tie up fewer resources and shorten the window of time for new railroads to become ISS participants.

Several industry counterparts who know Carpenter from Railinc shared positive thoughts about her for the Women in Rail nomination, which was submitted by Vice President of Revenue Accounting Kris Hemby. “This award is a testament to all the impact Tara has made,” said Hemby. “I am so extremely proud to have her on my team!” Carpenter credited the Revenue Accounting team, saying, “I could not have achieved any of this without their dedication and encouragement.”

In addition to her company and industry involvement, Carpenter contributes to her community of Pittsburg, Kansas. She is a longtime member of the local Rotary Club and volunteers for a Pittsburg food kitchen, the Salvation Army, and other organizations.