News Release

BNSF Announces Additions to its Washington, D.C., Office

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 17, 2006:

Three appointments in BNSF Railway Company’s Washington, D.C., office were announced today by Amy Hawkins, BNSF’s vice president, Federal Government Affairs. They are Michael Smythers, assistant vice president, Federal Government Affairs; Zak Andersen, director, Federal Government Relations; and Lindsay Duncan, budget and legislative affairs analyst.
Smythers most recently served as Special Assistant to the President in The White House Office of Legislative Affairs. From April 1999 through February 2004, when he joined The White House, he was assistant vice president, Federal Affairs, in the Washington office of CSX Corporation. He worked in the U.S. Senate from August 1994 through April 1999. Smythers is a graduate of the College of William and Mary.
Andersen comes to BNSF from the Gallatin Group, which he joined in February 2005 as a principal after working for eight years with U.S. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). He was the senator’s legislative director from September 2000 through October 2002 and chief of staff from December 2002 through January 2005. A Montana native, Andersen is a graduate of the University of Montana.
Prior to joining BNSF, Duncan worked on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, serving in both the Railroad subcommittee and the Highway Transit and Pipelines subcommittee. She was instrumental in the legislative advancement of SAFETEA-LU, which authorizes Federal surface transportation programs for 2005-2009. Duncan is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.
Hawkins, who has been with BNSF since 2001, became vice president, Federal Government Affairs Jan. 1, 2006, upon the retirement of Skip Endres. She reports to Jeffrey R. Moreland, BNSF’s executive vice president, Law, Government Affairs and Secretary.
“It is important for government officials to understand the impact of their policies on the future of BNSF and its customers, owners and employees,” says Moreland. “The railroad industry is being called upon to respond to America’s increasing freight transportation needs, and Michael, Zak and Lindsay will provide leadership on the issues that matter to the company and the industry.”
A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI), BNSF Railway operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. The railway is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, transports the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulphur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF Railway is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com. 

BNSF Headquarters
BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000