The gratifying part of being an engineer at UP is how my role has changed throughout the years. I’ve worked in telecom engineering, network engineering, worked on security projects, transportation logistics, and API, geospatial and data platforms.
Stephani Bazata
Technologist, Union Pacific
A rising star in the railroad industry, Stephani Bazata is also on track to create her own legacy in the Technology department at Union Pacific.
Bazata, selected by Progressive Railroading as one of 2021’s Rising Stars, is a 2005 graduate of the College of Engineering in Omaha as a Scott Scholar. Her unique history with the railroad industry dates back to her childhood when her grandfather served as a train engineer for UP. Fast forward several years to Bazata working full-time as a network engineer, designing IP networks, and building out connectivity to hundreds of railyard locations to modernize Union Pacific operations and radio technology.
“I knew a classmate who was interning at Union Pacific when I was a sophomore in college,” recalled Bazata of her early days as a UP intern. “He mentioned they were looking for engineering interns and how good of an opportunity it would be if I worked there, so I applied.”
Bazata’s internship began in 2003 and lasted until she graduated where it eventually led to a full-time job in 2005. The one-time internship has evolved into a rewarding career as she oversees work on Union Pacific's core enterprise technology platforms as a solutions architect & product manager.
“The gratifying part of being an engineer at UP is how my role has changed throughout the years,” added Bazata, who earned a B.S. in electronics engineering and also has a M.B.A. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “I’ve worked in telecom engineering, network engineering, worked on security projects, transportation logistics, and API, geospatial and data platforms.”
As an engineer turned solutions architect at UP, her job is constantly transforming to the changes in railroad technology. When she first started at UP, nearly 20 years ago, it was 56k circuitry she was working with. Now everything is online and advanced.
“It’s all about optimization and how do we get better,” noted Bazata, who was one of three Union Pacific employees selected as Rising Stars for 2021 by Progressive Railroading. “UP has a world-class engineering team, always ahead of the game, building technology platforms which enable us to be a leader in the industry.”
One strategy keeping Union Pacific at the top of its game, according to Bazata, is the company’s strong internship program. It’s changed since Bazata was a college student but the intent is still there for UP and that’s to invest in the future.
“There are more perks,” Bazata said with a smile, “but the focus is still the same and that’s developing talent and showing students the value of working for UP. When I was an intern, there were people who worked at UP for 30, even 40 years and I thought, ‘who’d stay at one company forever?’ Now I see why and how so many people invested their career in UP because UP invested in them.”
Union Pacific is happy to have invested in her as Beth Whited, executive vice president and chief human resources officers, described Bazata as a leader with “deep technical and business knowledge.”
“Her collaborative approach to leadership combined with her deep technical and business knowledge have allowed Stephani to engage with various other groups within information technology and across business units to identify opportunities to focus on incrementally delivering value, while maximizing the use of all resources,” Whited told Progressive Railroading while nominating Bazata for the 2021 Rising Stars honor. "Stephani is focused on driving the advancement of technology platforms to enable UP to compete as the most efficient logistics provider.”
Her advice to college students and recent college graduates is longevity. Finding a career path where leadership is earned, not imparted, is fulfilling and worth the time and effort as an up-and-coming engineer or technologist.
“Technology is embedded in our lives. You’ll never go wrong with a foundation of engineering or technology,” explained Bazata, who lives in Omaha with her husband, Brent, and three girls ages 3, 5 and 7. “The skills you will build about how to learn, how things work, and how to problem solve are a solid foundation for any path you ultimately take in your career.”
