2024 | 42nd Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lecture

 

"Disrupt, Adapt, Accelerate: Leading Through a Freight Recession"

Shelley Simpson - President and CEO, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

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Shelley Simpson is President and CEO at J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. Shelley’s 29-year career at J.B. Hunt reflects the company’s continued progression as an innovative leader in the transportation industry. She previously served as President of Integrated Capacity Solutions and Truckload, EVP of People and Chief Commercial Officer, among other executive roles. Shelley was named President in 2022 and provides oversight for all company business units while generating long-term value for employees, customers and shareholders. In 2023, She received the Excellence in Free Enterprise Award from Economics Arkansas and the Influential Woman in Trucking Award by the Women in Trucking organization.

 

2023 | 41st Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lecture

 

"Technology in Transportation and Logistics - Past, Present and Future"

Douglas Waggoner - CEO, Echo Global Logistics

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Doug Waggoner has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Echo Global Logistics since 2006 and has contributed to making Echo a leading provider of technology-enabled transportation management. Prior to Echo, he founded SelecTrans, LLC, a freight management software provider. From 2004 to 2005, he served as the CEO of USF Bestway. Prior to this, he was the senior vice president of strategic marketing for USF Corporation. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Supply-Chain Innovation Network of Chicago, a new organization emerging out of World Business Chicago’s Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs. Waggoner holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from San Diego State University.

 

2022 | 40th Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lecture

 

“Leadership and Air Travel Through the Pandemic and Beyond”

ED BASTIAN - CEO, Delta Air Lines

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 Ed Bastian leads a team of 75,000 global professionals that is building the world’s premier international airline, powered by a people-driven, customer-focused culture and spirit of innovation.  Under Ed’s leadership, Delta is transforming the air travel experience with generational investments in technology, aircraft, airport facilities and, most importantly, Delta’s employees worldwide. A 23-year Delta veteran, Ed has been a critical leader in Delta’s long-term strategy and champion of putting Delta’s shared values of honesty, integrity, respect, perseverance and servant leadership at the core of every decision.

  

2021 | 39th Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lecture

“Beyond Transportation Excellence: Lessons from the Pandemic”

ANN DRAKE - Founder & President, Lincoln Road Enterprises

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 Ann Drake is President and Founder of Lincoln Road Enterprises, a women’s leadership organization she started in 2019 to advance the influence and contributions of women in public/private enterprise, global supply chain, engineering/technology, infrastructure/design, and space/astrophysics. She has been recognized multiple times as one of the country’s leading women executives, honored for her vision and ability to engage others in meaningful dialogue and collaboration toward positive change. Ann is a graduate of the University of Iowa and received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Uberizing Logistics and the Future of Freight

2019

Lior Ron - Head of Uber Freight

Lior Ron has been at the helm of some of the most exciting technological developments of the past decade. He began his career as the CTO for Israeli Army Intelligence before joining Google in 2007. There he became the product lead for Google Maps, helping to scale the business from 10 million to 1 billion users, as well as launch products including My Maps, Google Map Maker and Google Local. After Google acquired Motorola in 2011, Lior was the first Google employee recruited to transform Motorola products, launching the award-winning Moto X and Moto 360 product lines. In 2016, Lior co-founded Otto, a self-driving truck company that was later acquired by Uber. Today, Lior is the Head of Uber Freight, Uber’s logistics on demand business, connecting shippers and trucking companies acro

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The sky's no limit: Boeing and the future of space exploration

2018

Dennis A. Muilenburg - Chairman, President & CEO, The Boeing Company

Over the course of decades, Boeing has celebrated lunar footsteps, space shuttle launches and the assembly of the International Space Station, among other milestones. Now the aerospace leader is focused on what comes next. At the 37th Annual Patterson Transportation Lecture, Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg discussed the future of space exploration, from traversing deep space and taking our first steps on Mars to the evolving combination of commercial air and commercial space travel.

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Connecting People, Creating A Better Future—Why International Trade Benefits America

2017

Lance Fritz - Chairman, President & CEO, Union Pacific

Union Pacific President and CEO Lance Fritz discussed the secrets behind Union Pacific’s enduring success as well as the importance of global trade during the 36th annual William A. Patterson Transportation Lecture.

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Technology & Culture Meet A New Era of Expectation

2016
Jeff Silver - Co-Founder & CEO, Coyote, A UPS Company

When Jeff Silver entered the world of third-party logistics (3PL) in the 1980s, the industry suffered from a bad reputation. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Silver worked to transform the 3PL industry with his company American Backhaulers, the second largest North American freight brokerage at the time. But he finally hit his career-long goal when he co-founded Coyote Logistics, one of the fastest growing 3PL service providers of all time. Silver shared how Coyote won customers by meeting their expectations at the 35th annual William A. Patterson Transportation Lecture.

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American Airlines: Building an Airline for the Future

2015
Douglas Parker - Chairman & CEO, American Airlines Group, Inc.

A lengthy period of transition followed the federal government’s deregulation of the airline industry in 1978. American Airlines is still in transition, but, according to American Airlines Chairman and CEO Douglas Parker, the end is in sight. He discussed the end of the airline industry’s long transition at the 34th annual William A. Patterson Transportation Lecture.

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Funding the Future, Lessons from the Past: How Underinvestment in Highway Infrastructure Threatens Transportation Efficiency and Sustainable Economic Health

2014
Chris Lofgren - President & CEO, Schneider

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The Impact of Wireless on Logistics and the World from OmniTRACS to Ubiquitous Smart Devices

2013
Dr. Irwin M. Jacobs - Founding Chairman & CEO Emeritus of Qualcomm Inc.

Irwin M. Jacobs discussed his adventures at Qualcomm from its first commercial product, OmniTRACS, a communications and asset location system for the trucking industry, to the latest smart devices and sensors impacting all aspects of our lives. He focused on the growing scope of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and described an experiment currently underway in London on wireless charging curb-side of electric vehicles, a positive for broad acceptance.

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The Ford Story

2012
Alan Mulally - President and CEO of Ford Motor Company

The New United: Flying to Win in a Changed Industry

2011
Jeffery A. Smisek - President and Chief Executive Officer, United Continental Holdings, Inc.

In his talk, “The New United: Flying to Win in a Changed Industry,” Smisek covered rising fuel prices and how the new United follows its “Go Forward Plan” to benefit employees, customers, shareholders and communities around the world.

Read about the event and listen to audio samples at Northwestern website

The Future of River Transportation in the U.S. —Safest... Sustainable... Subsidized... A Bargain?—And What it Might Mean for Freight Policy

2010
Dr. Craig E. Philip - CEO, Ingram Marine Group

Domestic Marine Transport is a significant but underappreciated and often invisible part of the freight network in the United States. While use of waterways around the world is being encouraged by government policy and action, policies in this country are conflicted and inconsistent. Dr. Philip, CEO of the largest U.S. Barge Company, shared his views about the present state of the industry and how future policy might shape its future.

Focus Transportation: Humanitarian Relief Through Better Technology

2009
Governor Scott McCallum, President & CEO, The AidMatrix Foundation

America's Transportation Challenge

2008
Matthew K. Rose, Chairman, President & CEO of BNSF Railway, Member of the National Surface Transportation, Policy and Revenue Commission

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On the Road to Safety: Milestones of Progress

2007
Mark V. Rosenker, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board

25th Anniversary Patterson Transportation Lecture

2006
Peter D. McDonald, Executive Vice President & COO, United Airlines

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Reinventing the Automobile

2005
Lawrence D. Burns, Vice President, GM Research & Development and Planning, General Motors Corporation

Innovation in an Age of Globalization

2004
Michael L. Eskew, Chairman and CEO, United Parcel Service, Inc.

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The Jet Blue Story

2003
David Neeleman, Chief Executive Officer and Director, JetBlue Airways

National Transportation Security System

2002
Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation

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Enhancing Logistics Productivity

2001
Donald Schneider, President, Schneider National, Inc.

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Expressing the Future

2000
Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, FedEx Corporation

Fred Smith, air express pioneer and founder of Federal Express delivered the 2000 Patterson Transportation Lecture. His seminar focused on the air express industry as a primary facilitator of trade worldwide. He explored some of the major forces driving global economic prosperity including the sweeping developments in technology, fast cycle logistics, globalization and the rise of e-commerce. He also offered his personal predictions for the future of the transportation industry.

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You Can't Haul Freight on the Internet: Railroads in the 21st Century

1999
Robert Krebs, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway

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Container Shipping in the Globalized Economy

1998
Lua Cheng Eng, Deputy Chairman, Group President and Executive Chief Officer of Neptune Orient Lines Ltd.

Leadership--Southwest Style

1997
Herb Kelleher, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Southwest Airline Co.

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Europe's Railways: At the Crossroads

1996
John Welsby, Chairman & CEO, British Railways

Use of Military Logistics Concepts and Principles in the Civilian Sector

1995
William ("Gus") Pagonis, Senior Vice President, Logistics, Sears Merchandise Group, Sears, Roebuck and Co.

European Competition Policy in the Transportation Sector

1994
Karel Van Miert, Commissioner of Competition, European Union

Traffic Science, Congestion and the Urban Environment

1993
Dr. Robert Herman, L.P., Gilvin Centennial Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin

Intermodalism: The Future Challenge

1992
J.B. Hunt, Chairman of the Board, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.

Challenges in Air Transportation Deregulation: A European Perspective

1991
Heinz Ruhnau, Chairman of the Executive Board, Lufthansa German Airlines

Space Transportation and Commercialization

1990
Donald (Deke) K. Slayton, Former astronaut, President & Vice Chairman, Space Services Inc. of America

The Airlines: Globalization and Post-1992 Europe

1989
Sir Colin Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, British Airways

Planes, Trains and Trucks in an Era of Deregulation

1988
William W. Winpisinger, International President, International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers

The Consumer and Deregulation

1987
Frank Lorenzo, Chairman, President & CEO, Texas Air Corporation

The Airline Industry: Still in Transition

1986
Robert L. Crandall, Chairman & President, AMR Corporation and American Airlines, Inc.

Information Technology and Organization Change: Strategies for Managers

1985
Marvin L. Manheim, William A. Patterson Distinguished Professor of Transportation, Northwestern University

1984: Transportation Quality: User Friendly?

1984
Dr. Daryl Wyckoff, James J. Hill Professor of Transportation, Harvard Business School, Harvard University

The Airline Industry: Is it Time to Reregulate?

1982
Alfred E. Kahn, Robert Julius Thorne Professor of Economics, Cornell University
Special Consultant, National Economic Research Associates

The Future of Air Transportation

1980
Richard J. Ferris, Chairman & CEO, United Airlines, Inc.