Norfolk Southern Corporation has named Ann A. Adams as Chief Human Resources Officer, with responsibility for human resources and labor relations, reporting to CEO Mark George. In addition, PC Bryant has been named Vice President Human Resources, reporting to Adams.

Adams joined Norfolk Southern in 2001 as a Manager in Human Resources. From there, she progressed through roles of increasing responsibility that gave her experience across the business, including her role as Chief Transformation Officer, which combined HR, Labor Relations, Corporate Communications, IT, and Sustainability. Earlier this year, the company decided to separate these divisions and Adams assumed an advisory role to help with the transition as the company conducted comprehensive searches to fill new leadership roles, including CHRO.

"I asked Annie to step into the CHRO role because she is adept at building a high-performing organization and aligning the enterprise behind who we are, how we grow, and how we bring employees along with us every step of the way," said George. "Her strong skillset, organizational knowledge and vast experience make Annie the right partner as we focus on deepening engagement, promoting excellence and delivering even greater results. As we round out the executive leadership team, Annie's voice at the table will be a vital to our ongoing transformation and success."

Adams has successfully overseen culture change, relocation and design of Norfolk Southern's headquarters, national rail labor negotiations, and more. She has broad Board experience and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Specialty Building Products, a North American distributor based in Duluth, Ga., as well as the Midtown Improvement District and Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. Adams holds an B.A. from Davidson College and a master's and Ph.D. from Rice University. She also completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School. She was named among Atlanta Business Chronicle's Women of Influence in 2022 and one of 10 Influential leaders for 2021 by Railway Age.

"I am excited to continue working alongside my colleagues to build a great culture at NS, and proud to have PC leading our Human Resources function," Adams said. "PC is a collaborative leader who aligns HR strategy with enterprise goals and embraces data and technology to propel the work, all while staying grounded in what is most important – our people." 

Since joining Norfolk Southern in 2020 as Assistant Vice President Human Resources, Bryant has led organizational change initiatives, workforce planning, performance management, training, and more. Prior to Norfolk Southern, Bryant held roles in Human Resources at CSX, The Home Depot, Intercontinental Hotels Group, and more. He holds a master's from Georgia Institute of Technology in industrial and organizational development and a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama in marketing.