By RSI Staff
After a year of significant transitions, quality assurance (QA) across railway suppliers’ products and services are more important than ever. Guidance and service offerings that can assist the industry are critical for moving rail forward towards innovation, safety, and reliability.
Formed with these initiatives in mind, RSI’s Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) is a collaborative of quality leaders representing car owners, fleet managers, repair and reconditioning facilities, and car and component manufacturers.
Recently elected, QAC Chair Sanjay Varma (Progress Rail Freight Car Services VP of Quality) and QAC Vice Chair Gary Alderman (AllTranstek, LLC, Manager of Quality Processes) aim to revitalize the committee and make an active impact towards the industry’s quality standards.
Gearing up for the 38th Annual Association of American Railroads (AAR) Quality Assurance Industry Conference, taking place February 17-19, 2026, in St. Petersburg, FL, we sat down with the chair and vice chair to talk about their initiatives going into 2026 and what they have in store for the conference.
What does it mean to each of you to step into leadership roles within the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC)?
Sanjay Varma (SV): Over the past few months, the RSI QAC has seen limited activity. With support from RSI Senior Director, Regulatory & Industry Affairs, Carrie Wall; Gary Alderson; and a team of committed members, I’m genuinely excited about the opportunity to revitalize the team and help us actively contribute to driving industry quality standards, particularly through the AAR regulatory bodies. My involvement with the AAR QAC spans many years, during which I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some very committed RSI QAC members. Their depth of knowledge and industry experience has always impressed me, and I’ve always valued the perspectives they bring. It’s truly an honor to be leading the RSI QAC, and I look forward to collaborating with the team as we strengthen our impact on quality standards across the industry.
Gary Alderson (GA): I’ve been involved with the QAC since 2017, and I have seen growth through volunteerism from people of different backgrounds who lend their knowledge to provide improvement. This helps me realize that I need to stay involved and be inspired by others to grow the QAC.
How do you plan to support and collaborate with the Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) to ensure continuity and progress in areas like AAR M-1003, education, and the QAC Newsletter?
SV: As you already know, the RSI QAC actively collaborates with the AAR QAC during the periodic updates to the M-1003 standard providing valuable input and feedback. Looking ahead, I am committed to continuing this tradition and further strengthening our contributions. Additionally, if we can secure the necessary budget and training resources, we could explore enhancing the Education TAG’s industry outreach through offering educational classes, particularly on risk-based quality management tools, expanding opportunities for learning and professional development within our industry.
GA: I hope to continue the QAC Newsletter by staying involved as the Chair, along with the Co-chair, Alfredo Ricardo, and the folks who have provided their help over the last eight years. We will miss Donna Jacobi and Bob Wolbert who have donated their time to provide articles and editing of the newsletter. I have helped with the Education TAG in the past and plan to continue, and I’ll help Sanjay Varma provide his support of the TAG’s by providing him with input and feedback.
The QAC plays a vital role in developing best practices and educating the industry. What new initiatives or improvements are you hoping to introduce in 2026 to further this mission?
GA: Change Management is one area I hope we can provide education for, which would help the RSI members reach the goal of meeting the M-1003 requirement in their QA programs. In addition, education needs to improve when new areas such as Change Management are introduced, and I am hopeful Sanjay and I can guide the QAC to provide education and training to the RSI members. I am also a proponent of eliminating prescriptive procedures and allowing for performance-based procedures and processes.
How do you envision the QAC’s role at the upcoming AAR QAC Conference, and what message do you hope to convey to attendees about the committee’s direction?
SV: Over the years, our Education TAG has closely collaborated with the AAR QAC, presenting quality-related educational topics and workshops at the Annual AAR Quality Assurance Industry Conference. These sessions are consistently well-received and highly regarded by conference attendees. For the upcoming conference in February, our Education TAG will be presenting two workshops. It would be great to have many RSI members in attendance in St. Petersburg, FL. Besides being an opportunity for learning, this conference is also a great avenue for professional development through networking with our industry quality professionals.
GA: The RSI QAC always strives to collaborate with the AAR QAC, especially during the AAR Quality Assurance Industry Conference. Each year our dedicated members provide presentations and workshops that are educational and hands-on. The workshops started several years ago when I asked Don Guillen if the RSI could provide them in addition to the presentations. The first workshop was on how to write your QA manual, which I presented, and it lasted about two hours. The workshops have since expanded to one day (Thursday), and the AAR Auditors have the opportunity to attend the workshops.
What would you say to RSI members and industry stakeholders who may be uncertain about the committee’s future, and how can they get involved to help shape it?
SV: The members of the RSI committees provide invaluable front-line insights and candid feedback on driving industry standards. We have many dedicated members committed to sharing ideas, mentoring others, and helping ensure quality remains central to our industry. Volunteering on one of our committees or technical advisory groups would offer professional development and learning opportunities to newer professionals, while actively contributing to future initiatives and supporting RSI’s continued success.
GA: The RSI QAC is only as good as the people who volunteer for it. Everyone is busy, and everyone has plenty of work to do for their regular job, but we need your help so we can have a voice and work as the liaison between the AAR committees and the industry.
Interested in joining the QAC’s mission? Contact Carrie Wall (cwall@rsiweb.org) for more information.
About the Railway Supply Institute (RSI)
The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) is dedicated to advancing safety, innovation, technology, and sustainability within the freight and passenger railway supplier industry, both in North America and global markets. As the voice of the industry, RSI strategically engages in critical and urgent industry matters by leveraging the technical expertise of our members to advocate in the legislative and regulatory arenas, foster education, host impactful events, and facilitate networking opportunities. For more information visit www.rsiweb.org, follow RSI on Twitter and LinkedIn.