Operation Lifesaver Installs Three New State Leaders
Steve Kreins now directs Oregon Operation Lifesaver as state coordinator; Brock Kerchner is the new Pennsylvania Operation Lifesaver state coordinator; and Jessica Devorsky starts Feb. 1 as state coordinator for Texas Operation Lifesaver.
Operation Lifesaver, Inc.'s interim president, Wende Corcoran, this week announced three new state program leaders have been tapped for the nonprofit rail safety education organization. Steve Kreins now directs Oregon Operation Lifesaver as state coordinator; Brock Kerchner is the new Pennsylvania Operation Lifesaver state coordinator; and Jessica Devorsky starts Feb. 1 as state coordinator for Texas Operation Lifesaver.
The latest data, from 2016, showed Texas had more grade crossing collisions that year, 232, than any other state. There were 22 deaths and 82 injuries associated with those Texas collisions, according to charts on the OLI website. California's grade crossing collision deaths that year totaled 52.
Kreins succeeds retiring Oregon state coordinator Claudia Howells, who headed the state program since 2005. A Union Pacific locomotive engineer with 13 years of experience and an instructor in the Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program, Kreins has been involved with Operation Lifesaver for five years as an authorized volunteer and member of the board of directors. He serves as a Legislative Representative for Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen local division 236 and is a member of BLET’s Oregon State Legislative Board.
"Having first-hand experience in crossing incidents as an engineer, this program is extremely important to me. I look forward to advancing Operation Lifesaver's goals of reducing fatalities and injuries in the state of Oregon," he said.
Kerchner, a senior account director for iHeart Radio and co-host of an online sports program, is audio-visual coordinator for the Mechanicsburg Area School District. He takes over the Pennsylvania program from previous state coordinator Thomas Algatt, who was appointed in 2014; Algatt will remain on the organization's board. Kerchner has been involved with the Pennsylvania unit since 2014 as a volunteer.
Devorsky is a Waco resident and an experienced community manager; she comes to the Texas unit from The American Cancer Society in Waco, where she was a development manager responsible for event fundraising, volunteer training, and retention. She will succeed Dal Tingle as TX OL state coordinator when he retires Feb. 1.
"We look forward to working with these three new state coordinators to advance Operation Lifesaver’s efforts in their states," Corcoran said. "We are also grateful to the previous state coordinators, Claudia Howells, Tom Algatt, and Dal Tingle, for their important contributions to improving safety."