NARP Staff

Ross Capon, President and CEO

Sean Jeans-Gail, Vice President

Malcolm Kenton, Director of Outreach & Engagement

James Abram Zumwalt, Coordinator of Resource Development

Lawrence Scott, Special Assistant to the Chairman

NARP President & CEO Ross B. Capon

Ross Capon joined the staff of the National Association of Railroad Passenger (NARP) in 1975, and became executive director in 1976.  In 2008, his title was changed to president and CEO.  Mr. Capon’s duties as President of the only national organization advocating for the users of passenger trains and rail transit include testifying before Congress and working with members of Congress to increase funding for passenger rail service; briefing the media on passenger rail issues; and coordinating among state and regional associations of railroad passengers on local issues that affect passenger rail.

Under Mr. Capon’s leadership, NARP’s membership has grown to over 23,000, and the organization has achieved a level of recognition and credibility that results in frequent invitations to comment on railroad policy at Congressional hearings, administrative proceedings, and public conferences. Mr. Capon helped establish the Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award that the family of Dr. Gary Burch presents annually to a railroad employee judged to have done the most to improve the safety of railroad passengers.  Capon also helped establish Amtrak’s Customer Advisory Committee. 

A recognized expert on passenger rail, Mr. Capon is a member of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Intercity Passenger Rail Systems, and the board of Travelers Aid International.  His many speaking appearances have included such forums as Amtrak’s Customer Advisory Committee; Railway Supply Institute; American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials’ Standing Committee on Rail Transportation; American Public Transportation Association Rail Transit Conferences; Society of Government Economists; and the Transportation Research Forum.  He was a presenter at the 3rd World Congress on High Speed Rail in Berlin. 

Previously, Mr. Capon served as special assistant for Railroad Operations in the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where he helped save the commuter rail network of Eastern Massachusetts.  He also worked in Philadelphia for the Religious Society of Friends.

He received the Association’s George Falcon Golden Spike Award in 1985.  In 2000, the Intermodal Passenger Institute honored Capon by presenting him its second annual Robert K. Pattison Partnership Award.  In 2007, Railway Age Magazine awarded him the W. Graham Claytor, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to Passenger Transportation.

Mr. Capon received his B.A. from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) in 1969.  A native of Newton, Massachusetts, Mr. Capon lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife Louise and their three sons. A married daughter lives in Arlington, Virginia.

NARP Vice President Sean Jeans-Gail

Sean Jeans-Gail joined the National Association of Railroad Passenger in 2008, and is currently working as Vice President.  A native of Portland, Oregon, he holds a BA in philosophy from the University of Oregon, where he was on the Dean’s list and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

After graduating in 2005, Jeans-Gail took a position in the fraud prevention department at Wells Fargo Bank.  He left in 2007 to take part in the creation of a grass roots campaign for “Yes on Measure 49” as part of the field organizing staff.  The campaign was a state-wide ballot measure whose goal was to fix loopholes in land use-laws that were originally enacted in 1973 by renowned conservationist Governor Tom McCall—loopholes drafted by large development interests seeking to exploit protected land.  Measure 49 was passed successfully by Oregon voters in November of 2007, ensuring protection for Oregon farms and forestland from poorly planned urban sprawl.

After the election, Jeans-Gail moved to Washington, DC, where he served in an internship for Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.  He hopes to utilize the experience he gained working on the Hill to help NARP effectively advocate for an increased governmental commitment to rail travel, and move America towards a more sustainable way-of-life.

NARP Outreach & Engagement Director Malcolm Kenton

Hailing from Greensboro, North Carolina, Malcolm Kenton graduated in 2008 from Guilford College (Greensboro) with High Honors.  He earned a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies. 

He is a longtime political and environmental activist and rail advocate. Passenger train issues were a central component of Malcolm’s senior research project at Guilford, which included a documentary film called Re-Training America. He interned in Washington with the Humane Society of the United States and The American Prospect magazine, where he wrote online content.  He has worked for several political campaigns and been involved in numerous grassroots organizations.

Malcolm brings to NARP well-developed writing and research skills, extensive knowledge of environmental and transportation issues, and enthusiasm for the development of a robust passenger train network, which he sees as a crucial to making America stronger, healthier and more sustainable. He is responsible for developing and implementing grassroots outreach strategies, especially for younger people. His duties include serving as primary steward of the NARP Blog.  He does the layout of NARP News and assists with compiling material.

NARP Resource Development Coordinator James Abram "Abe" Zumwalt

A native of Seattle, WA, Abe is NARP's Coordinator of Resource Development. He received B.A. degrees in Economics and in French from Knox College (Galesburg IL) in 2007. While attending Knox, hewas an intern with the Galesburg Regional Economic Development Association, in the fall of 2009. He also studied abroad in Besancon, France (January-June 2010) and served on the Student Senate and—alongside college president Roger Taylor—on the school’s Sustainability Committee.

His professional work since graduating has been as a wine salesman, and as a Tour Guide in Seattle’s Underground. He has a strong knowledge of railroading. A major paper he wrote at Knox concerned the economic history of transportation infrastructure in the 20^th century, with a view to making “more accessible the epic socio-political struggle that played out between road and rail,”  which caught the interest of BNSF officials and culminated with dinner aboard the BNSF business train. He attended the 2010 and 2011 Railvolution conferences.