Amtrak Names Steve Predmore Executive Vice President and Chief Safety Officer

WASHINGTON – Steve Predmore has been appointed to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Safety Officer for Amtrak, starting Nov. 4, 2019. Predmore will report to Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, Stephen Gardner, and is responsible for safety planning, training and performance across the Amtrak national network. Predmore will succeed Ken Hylander, who will return to retirement on Nov. 15, 2019. 

In his role, Predmore will lead the company’s consolidated safety resources, a team that includes the System Safety, Compliance and Training, Environmental Compliance, Sustainability and Public Health groups.

“We are pleased to welcome Steve to Amtrak as a recognized leader in the implementation and operation of Safety Management Systems (SMS),” said Amtrak Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating and Commercial Officer Stephen Gardner. “He has a deep understanding of system safety, human factors and human performance that will help us build and sustain a high-performing safety culture.”

Predmore joins Amtrak with nearly 30 years of experience in protecting employees and customers in high-risk industries, including aviation, oil and gas, and contracted passenger services. Predmore most recently served as Vice President and Chief Safety Officer of the Bristow Group, the world’s largest provider of rotary and fixed wing aviation services for offshore transportation and search and rescue. During his 5-year tenure, Predmore successfully implemented the SMS model within several high-risk businesses, including offshore helicopter services.  

Prior to Bristow, Predmore was Senior Vice President of Safety for MV Transportation, the largest private U.S. provider of contracted passenger services, including paratransit/demand response, fixed-route municipal transit, corporate/airline shuttles and school bus operations (2012-13).

Predmore has almost two decades of experience in the aviation industry. From 2001 to 2012, Steve served as Vice President and Chief Safety Officer for JetBlue Airways. During his tenure, JetBlue achieved the No. 1 ranking as the major U.S. airline with the lowest employee injury rate. Predmore built the foundation for his aviation expertise at Delta Air Lines through a series of safety, quality and human factor roles (1991-1996).

Predmore earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Drake University. He also holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Texas-Austin.