Transportation Division Vice President
Vice President Brent Leonard was born in 1973. After attending college he started railroading in 1997 on Union Pacific as a conductor/switchman. He was promoted to engineer in 1998.
A member of Local 202 in Denver, Leonard was elected local chairperson in 2001; vice general chairperson of his general committee, GO 953, in 2003; senior vice general chairperson in 2007 and general chairperson in 2011. The committee represents about 4,000 members and is one of the largest GCs in SMART TD.
As general chairperson, Leonard represented Union Pacific employees encompassing 10 states as well as four regional short-line railroads representing both operating and non-operating crafts. Leonard negotiated several first-of-their-kind agreements providing significant pay increases, improvements of his members’ quality of life and predictive time off.
Leonard has filled past roles of chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad Employee Health Systems (UPREHS), chairman of the District 1 General Chairpersons’ Association and various leadership positions for the Union Pacific General Chairpersons’ Association. As longtime chairman of the UPREHS Board of Trustees, Leonard became well-versed in the world of health insurance and presided over a significant strengthening of Union Pacific employees’ health & welfare benefits.
As vice president and general chairperson, Leonard has been assigned to the Federal Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) and the 2017 National Wage & Rules Coordinated Bargaining Team.
He was elevated from alternate vice president to the position of vice president in July 2018 and elected vice president at the Second Transportation Division Convention on August 11, 2019, and again on August 11, 2024.
Leonard and his wife live in Topeka, Kan., and have two daughters.