As the Director of Safety & Security Technology at Amtrak, Patrick leads the team that keeps thousands of devices running smoothly across the country—from police dispatch systems to onboard train security. Among his accomplishments is his team's role in launching the NextGen Acela, the fastest train in North America. Patrick says the hands-on learning and small class sizes at Penn College set him up for success. His advice for future IT pros? Learn the tech, but also understand the business—it’s the key to growing into leadership.
Amtrak is America’s railroad; our 20,000 employees support the operation of 300+ daily trains to over 500 destinations across 46 states and 3 Canadian provinces. In my current role, I lead the staff, financial planning, and strategic direction for information technology that supports the mission of Amtrak’s Police and Security departments. My direct team of 13 professionals lead project management, technology engineering, and operational maintenance and support for thousands of devices across Amtrak’s nationwide network. We develop solutions for everything from police dispatch, radio, and camera technology to bridge and tunnel security and on-board train security systems.
No two days are ever the same. One day I may be working on planning budgets and projects for next year, and the next day I may travel on our national network to a meeting with the train car manufacturer of the next generation of Amtrak trains. My team and I are constantly responding to the needs of train operations with the goal of delivering our customers to their destination both safely and on time.
My role is an enabler for others to succeed. My team has had the fortune to celebrate many successes, and it makes me proud every time we have a new system go live. It excites me to witness the work they do – as it truly makes our national transportation network safer for the traveling public.
Amtrak is making generational investments in replacing its aging fleet of trains. In August 2025, Amtrak launched the NextGen Acela trains. These are the fastest trains in North America. Launching this new train that travels between Boston, MA and Washington, DC has taken years of work to bring online. I’ve been involved in the project for the last 5 years, and it has been exciting to see the hard work pay off. I was fortunate to participate in several test runs prior to revenue service launch and lend a hand on board during the first two weeks of revenue operations. The customer excitement was palpable, and it made the hard work all worth it in the end.
Now that NextGen Acela is launched, we are shifting our focus on the Amtrak Airo trainsets which will enter revenue service in just a few years.
In today’s workplace, IT is a business enabler. Companies are increasingly looking to IT professionals to advise on how work can happen faster, smarter, and more efficiently. I highly recommend learning not only the technical aspects of IT – but the business of how IT works too. That will position you well to grow into future leadership positions.
Penn College gave me the technical foundation to be a great IT practitioner. Through my extracurricular activities, I also learned how to be a leader. I learned the skills necessary to make me qualified to serve in a variety of system administrator and network engineering roles. These skills are still relevant and applicable to my work today, as I know how to lean into the technical details but also back away and see how those details relate to the larger business objectives.
"Small class sizes, the significant amount of lab time, and a degree in my specific area of interest were the perfect recipe for success. Upon visiting campus I was instantly hooked: The state-of-the-art facilities and beautiful location sealed the deal."
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