General Session

Nathan “Nate” E. Irby, Ph.D.

Executive Director | Railway Tie Association

"Update on the Railroad Tie Market…Looking at the Future"

Nathan “Nate” E. Irby has served as Executive Director of the Railway Tie Association (RTA) since 2021. RTA is a membership association representing the wood tie industry from sawmill production through railroad end use.

Prior to joining RTA, Irby worked with Union Pacific Railroad from 2013 to 2021 as the company’s forest products subject matter expert. In that role, he managed the railroad’s wood tie program, including procurement, inventory management, wood quality assurance, and research and development.

Irby has also served as Adjunct Faculty in the Mississippi State University Department of Sustainable Bioproducts since 2019. He earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in forest products, wood science, and technology through Mississippi State University and North Carolina State University.

Passionate about education, Irby frequently presents on wood preservation and railway tie industry topics across the country. He resides in Eagle Lake, Mississippi, and currently serves as Interim Pastor of Ridgeway Baptist Church in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

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