People News: Metrolink, The Broe Group

Pictured: Metrolink’s Hilary Konczal (left) and The Broe Group’s Morgan Stoll. (Photographs Courtesy of the Respective Organizations)

Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail provider, hires Hilary Konczal as its new Chief Safety, Security and Compliance Officer. Also, The Broe Group appoints Morgan Stoll as Senior Vice President of Information Technology over all its businesses, including OmniTRAX, Broe Management, and Broe Real Estate Group.

Metrolink

As Chief Safety, Security and Compliance Officer, Hilary Konczal will spearhead the development, implementation, and evaluation of Metrolink’s safety programs, ensuring alignment with federal regulations and industry best practices. He will oversee security operations across the system, including risk mitigation strategies and partnerships with contracted law enforcement and private security providers. Konczal will also drive education and outreach. Additionally, he will act as the organization’s compliance officer for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-mandated initiatives and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Konczal served previously at Chicago’s Metra commuter railroad, where he spent more than three decades in progressively senior roles, ultimately ascending to Chief Regulatory Compliance Officer, overseeing safety initiatives along the 487-mile system. At Metra, Konczal was Chief Safety and Environmental Compliance Officer from 2015-24, and held the roles of mechanical shop laborer, conductor, trainmaster, security administrator, and director of safety. He earned World Safety Organization (WSO) safety and security certifications at the technician, manager and director levels. Konczal is also an associate instructor for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Safety Institute, where he educates colleagues from across the country on FRA system safety regulations and Federal Transit Administration safety management systems.

Konczal sits on the Boards of the WSO, the DuPage Railroad Safety Council and Operation Lifesavers’ Illinois Chapter. He is a member of the FRA Railroad Safety Advisory Committee and American Association of Railroads Safety and Operations Committee. From 2016-20, Konczal Chaired the American Public Transportation Association’s Commuter Rail Safety and Security Committee. He also served previously on the Board of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force.

“Hilary brings nearly 35 years of hands-on rail safety experience accrued through a broad array of positions and perspectives,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said. “Thanks to his background in maintenance and operations, Hilary has seen, firsthand, how employees and contractors at different levels and in different functions interact with potential hazards every day in a working railroad environment. And as a product of Metra, he understands the unique challenges that come with the size and scale of our 545-mile system. Safety is foundational at Metrolink, and we could not be more excited to add Hilary’s voice and expertise to our executive leadership team.”

“Metrolink is in the midst of an exciting period of transformation, but its North Star approach to safety hasn’t and won’t change,” Konczal said.

The Broe Group

In his new role as Senior Vice President of Information Technology, Morgan Stoll will provide IT leadership and oversight across all Broe businesses, including OmniTRAX, Broe Management and Broe Real Estate Group. With more than 30 years of IT experience and 25 years in leadership roles across diverse industries and organizations, Stoll brings both applications and infrastructure expertise to The Broe Group. “Stoll led IT for companies that had highly complex cyber security needs, operated with rail and rail carriers, and had large capital infrastructure systems and safety requirements that align with The Broe Group’s rail and real estate businesses,” the company said.

Stoll started his career in the U.S. Coast Guard. Since then, he has led an IT team of 70 as Senior Director of Global Information Technology for the global eCommerce firm MIVA, Inc.; spent 14 years leading a team of 450 employees as Chief Information Officer at UNS Energy Corporation; served as Chief Information and Security Officer for Utility Ventures; and, most recently, worked at It Works! as VP of Information Technology. 

Stoll holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Barry University and a Master of Science in Information Technology from Capella University.

“Operational efficiency is a shared priority throughout The Broe Group, and IT strategy has the unique ability to enhance efficiency in all facets of our organization,” OmniTRAX Chief Financial Officer Robert Walker said. “Morgan brings the ideal experience to shape an IT strategy that positively impacts multiple decision centers across the Broe companies and allows us to maximize operations while enhancing our customer, client, and partner experiences.”

“The Broe Group is a dynamic enterprise that is poised to benefit from a robust technology strategy,” Morgan Stoll said. “By harnessing the transformative power of IT and AI, we can enhance operational capabilities and organizational efficiency while accelerating the business decision-making capabilities needed to keep pace with The Broe Group’s explosive growth. I look forward to helping the business units achieve their full potential.”