Qualifications
The principal of KAG Strategic Advisory, KellyAnne Gallagher is an internationally-recognized public transportation policy professional and a strategic advisor. A visionary, accomplished leader, she has demonstrated success developing strategies that generate dynamic gains in organizational performance, growth, and sustainability. With more than 20 years serving across industry sectors - agency, association, and consulting; public, private and political sectors – she has charted a uniquely impactful career in public transportation.
Gallagher founded the Commuter Rail Coalition in 2019, and currently serves as the organization’s Executive Director. In this role, she is shaping policy and driving the agenda of the association, which serves as the singular voice of the commuter rail industry. Consequently, Railway Age magazine recognized KellyAnne as one of 2020’s most influential leaders in rail.
Previously, Gallagher was a member of the NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s senior leadership team. While at the MTA – the largest public transportation agency in North America - she led the Authority’s federal regulatory interests across all transportation modes, identified strategic direction and liaised with the US Department of Transportation. In addition, she partnered with US “legacy” transportation agencies as well as international agencies and associations to facilitate the exchange of best practices and strengthened the Authority’s capacity for benchmarking.
Representing the MTA, Gallagher served on the FRA’s Rail Safety Advisory Committee, the National Association of City Transportation Officials, the Metropolitan Rail Discussion Group, on the executive board of the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) affiliate members, and the research advisory board at Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado.
Gallagher joined the MTA after 16 years at the American Public Transportation Association. There, she cultivated and nurtured strategic industry relationships across domestic and international transportation sectors, executed operational oversight for 13 member-constituted committees, and led a team of 15 that developed and delivered educational content to the industry. In 2012 Metro Magazine profiled her in their annual Women in Transportation feature.
Gallagher’s modal expertise includes commuter and high-speed intercity rail, and she has represented the US as a featured speaker at forums throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Along with the Federal Railroad Administration, the European Rail Agency, and UNIFE (Union des Industries Ferroviaires Européennes/the European industry association) she spearheaded the creation of a quadrilateral initiative to share European and US standards development efforts, and chaired the UIC (Union Internationale des Chemins de fer/International Union of Railways) World Congress on High Speed rail in Philadelphia in 2012.
A credentialed association executive, Gallagher began her tenure at APTA leading an association management practice as executive manager of four professional societies: Women’s Transportation Seminar, the WTS Foundation, High Speed Ground Transportation Association, and American Transit Services Council.
She is a graduate of both Leadership APTA and the Eno Transit Senior Executive program and has served on the board of the New York Public Transit Association. And she is pursuing a certificate in public policy analysis from the London School of Economics.
Gallagher has represented the US on industry panels around the world:
International Union of Railways (UIC) high speed rail forums, Prague (2011), Warsaw (2012)
High Speed Two (HS2) Forum, London (2014)
Alamys, Buenos Aires (2014), Mexico City (2015)
Fundacion Caminos de Hierros, Cordoba (2015)
UIC World Congress on High Speed Rail, Tokyo (2015)
UIC Commuter & Regional Rail Forum, Rome (2016)
In addition, she has led study missions to London, Paris, Munich, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong; marshaled US delegations to Beijing, Tokyo, and Berlin; and hosted industry delegations from around the world.
Profile:
Railway Age April 2020), 2020’s Most Influential Leaders in Rail
Railway Age (November 2017), Women in Rail
RailTech Europe (March 2013), High Speed Rail in the US
Convene (December 2012) Fast Track
Metro Magazine (September 2012) Women in Transportation
