Propel Conference 2025, October 6 2025, Convene Chicago, IL

A Leadership Summit for High-Potential Rail Professionals

A Event

Returning to Chicago
Monday, October 6, 2025

Convene, 311 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL

Anticipation is high for our 2nd annual Propel conference—set to deliver another powerful day of insight, connection, and growth for emerging leaders in the rail industry. Designed to equip rising talent with practical tools and fresh perspectives, Propel fosters meaningful relationships and leadership development.

This fall in downtown Chicago, the 2025 Propel Summit will offer even more opportunities to learn, lead, and elevate your impact within the rail industry.

Reserve Your Spot »

4:00 PM ‐ 6:00 PM

Icebreaker Reception at The LaSalle Chicago, our event hotel located in The Loop

8:00 AM

Registration/Breakfast

9:00 AM

The Inside Track: Career Lesson's Across Rail's Ecosystem

9:45 AM

Break

10:00 AM

Morning Skill Building Session: Understanding Your Leadership Strengths

11:30 AM

Break

11:45 AM

Moments That Matter: A Conversation on Connection and Career Impact

12:30 PM

Lunch

1:15 PM

Afternoon Skill Building Session: Managing Up

2:45 PM

Break

3:15 PM

Elevate Your Brand: Strategic Presence for Career Growth

4:00 PM

Wrap Up and Cocktail Reception

Matt Meuleners

Executive Partner and Leadership Trainer

FOCUS Training

With over 24 years of experience as a speaker, trainer, and Talent Development professional, Matt Meuleners is an expert in leadership development who specializes in: program design and delivery, L&D consulting, training audits, and leader coaching.

Matt holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin: Milwaukee and a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin: Madison. He taught Training & Development at Marquette University as an adjunct professor and is a Past President of the SEWI chapter of the Association of Talent Development.

An Executive Partner with FOCUS Training, Matt leads the professional development market team and serves as Lead Instructor for the Accelerate and Elevate Institutes where he trains and coaches managers and high-potential talent from the nations top companies.

Top Reasons for Attending Propel 2024:

Connections That Count, Workshops That Deliver

The small size of the event allowed for meaningful networking and great discussions.
- Propel 2024 Attendee

I found the building strong teams and enterprise mindset modules to be extremely helpful and relevant to my work. It has me evaluating my own performance around how I set expectations for my direct reports.
- Tiya Cunningham-Sumter, Acting Director of Learning and Support at Chicago Transit Authority

The presentation and activities on expectations and trust were a great illustration of the importance of both.
- Propel 2024 Attendee

100% of 2024 Attendee Survey Respondents Would Recommend Propel

It is important to hear other perspectives from outside your organization. It helps form expectations and standards for our individual career challenges and progress.
- Gene Barber, Commercial Finance & Marketing Manager at R. J. Corman Railroad Group

I appreciated the training and group sized. The group was also very interesting with a variety of backgrounds.
- Propel 2024 Attendee

They [my colleagues] would benefit from the skill building sessions and insights of other Rail leadership.
- Shequira Hall, Senior Fleet Management Specialist at GATX Corporation

The Journey Continues: Every Attendee Wants More Propel

I really like the way the program was organized. The class participation component was very interactive. I was very engaged.
- Terry Wilkerson, Acting Director of Transit Instruction at Chicago Transit Authority

I believe that connecting with industry peers outside one's own company is crucial for personal and professional growth in the rail industry. Events like this are valuable because they provide a platform for fostering those essential connections. Therefore, I will always make an effort to support an event like this.
- Falyn Coleman-Wright, VP of Business Development- Rail at API (Accommodations Plus International)

I left Propel really motivated and inspired to expand my leadership strengths. There were practical tools I see myself implementing Immediately.
- Tiya Cunningham-Sumter, Acting Director of Learning and Support at Chicago Transit Authority