Our Executive Team
Katie Farmer – President and Chief Executive Officer
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Tom Williams – Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
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Matt Garland – Executive Vice President and Chief Transportation Officer
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Matt Igoe – Executive Vice President, Operations
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Jill Mulligan – Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
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Paul Bischler – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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Judy Carter – Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
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Zak Andersen – Chief of Staff and Vice President, Communications
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Katie Farmer was appointed president and chief executive officer in January 2021. She holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Texas Christian University. Katie has been with BNSF for 31 years, having joined Burlington Northern in 1992 as a management trainee. She has held a variety of positions in sales, marketing, finance, customer solutions and network operations. Prior to her current role, Katie served as executive vice president, Operations since 2018.
Tom Williams was appointed executive vice president and chief marketing officer in September 2024. A graduate of Indiana University at Bloomington, University of Chicago and Harvard University, Tom joined the former Santa Fe Railway Company in 1993. He held various roles in marketing prior to assuming the role of assistant vice president, Intermodal/Automotive Operations in the Service Design and Performance group at BNSF. He served as BNSF’s group vice president, Consumer Products since 2017.
Matt Garland was appointed executive vice president and Chief Transportation Officer in March 2025. Matt oversees BNSF Transportation, Service Design, Merchandise Execution and the Mechanical Team. A graduate of University of New Mexico and Texas Christian University, Matt joined BNSF as a management trainee in 2001. He was soon promoted to trainmaster and would later serve in various Transportation leadership roles with increasing responsibility. Prior to his current role, he served as senior vice president, Transportation and Service Design.
Matt Igoe was appointed executive vice president, Operations in January 2021. A graduate of Canisius College with a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University, Matt joined the BNSF team in 1998 as a management trainee after serving as an officer in the U.S. Army. He held a variety of roles in transportation before assuming the role of vice president, Service Design and Performance in 2016. Prior to his current role, he was promoted to vice president, Transportation in 2017.
Jill Mulligan was appointed executive vice president in September 2022. Prior to joining BNSF, she was a member of the Transportation group at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, LLP in Washington, D.C. Jill earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard School of Law. Prior to her current role, she previously held the position of vice president and general counsel.
Paul Bischler was appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer in October 2021. A graduate of the University of Kansas and the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program, Paul began his career with BNSF in 1997. Prior to this appointment, Paul served as vice president and chief accounting and sourcing officer.
Judy Carter was appointed senior vice president and chief human resources officer in September 2022. A graduate of Louisiana Scholars’ College at Northwestern State University and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Judy joined BNSF as an attorney in the BNSF Law Department in June 2006 and became Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer in 2010. She served as vice president, Compliance & Audit and Secretary since 2013. Before her current role, she served as vice president and chief human resources officer since 2019.
Zak Andersen was appointed chief of staff and vice president, Communications in September 2022. Before joining BNSF, Zak worked nine years for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) in numerous capacities, including legislative director and chief of staff. A graduate of University of Montana, Zak joined BNSF in 2006 as director, Federal Government Affairs. Prior to his most recent position, Zak served as assistant vice president, Public Affairs.