Dave Tennent has more than 40 years of experience in the railroad industry, beginning as a front-line supervisor in locomotive shops following his receipt of a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Delaware. His career encompasses assignments with railroad companies, rolling stock manufacturers, government financial institutions, public transportation authorities, and international state-owned railways as well as owning and running his own small engineering and manufacturing firm. This has provided him with a unique understanding of the technical and managerial issues associated with the procurement, design, maintenance, and operation of railway rolling stock and the role of government entities in this sector of the industry.

In addition to a stable sequence of technical and engineering assignments, Dave has a strong background in project administration and management insight, including assisting railway clients in locomotive procurement, developing locomotive fleets and maintenance plans, assisting in the development and structure of clients’ engineering departments, providing direction with major transit contracts, and coordinating the development of a positive train control system that was developed in Australia. In the last decade, Dave also authored three successful TIGER grants, two successful CRISI grants, two RAISE grants, one RCE grant, and one MPDG grant winning over $95 million dollars for clients.

Dave was previously a partner of the firm Chambers, Conlon, and Hartwell, a well-established Washington, D.C.-based rail government relations firm, serving as president of its rail consulting subsidiary, the Seneca Group. During this time, he performed consulting and engineering assignments for domestic and international railway organizations as well as serving as executive director of the railway supply trade association, REMSA. Earlier in his career, Dave served in senior-level roles with leading railroad companies.

In addition to his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Delaware, Dave is a licensed and practicing Professional Engineer.

Outside the Firm

Dave enjoys mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and sailing.