People


BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President:
William Cloran

Executive Director:
Patricia Abbate

Treasurer:
James Galvin

BOARD MEMBERS
Rudy DiLuzio
William Brinkley
Nancy Tilton
Donna Willock


William M. Cloran, Esq.
President
wcloran@citizensforrailsafety.org

William Cloran, Esq., is a noted Boston attorney, former State Police Officer, author and founder and director of a successful training academy for special police officers. He is frequently called upon by the media, U.S. government officials and private corporations for his expertise in the fields of law and public safety.

Attorney Cloran's legal practice, Cloran and Associates, maintains a successful general practice in suburban Boston with an emphasis in Criminal Law, Probate Law, Estate Planning, Taxation, Real Estate, Corporate Law, Administrative Law and Business Law, in suburban Boston.

Attorney Cloran is the founder and director of The William Cloran Academy, where he and his staff provide extensive training to Private Security Officers, sworn and non-sworn, unarmed and armed. The William Cloran Academy has been approved to train and certify those that wish to be Special Officers, with police powers, to the City of Boston. The Academy also designs and provides in-service training to security personnel.

Attorney Cloran's professional accomplishments include decades of experience in specialized areas of legal practice as well as instruction at the college level. Attorney Cloran served as General Counsel to the Department of Public Utilities, was assistant clerk to the Supreme Judicial Court, served as a Massachusetts State Police Officer and was a special faculty member and lecturer for Suffolk University School of Law, Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council. He is also the author of several training books and guides for the education of police officers.

Attorney Cloran is a graduate of Harvard University JFK School of Government, Boston University, Suffolk University and Boston College.


Patricia Abbate
Executive Director
pabbate@citizensforrailsafety.org

Patricia Abbate has an extensive background in the fields of communication, journalism, non-profit fundraising and public advocacy.

Ms. Abbate, a former journalist for two prominent New England newspapers, has served on the boards and on the executive teams of several national, non-profit organizations and has raised the awareness of their causes via public relations, fund raising, special events and marketing communications efforts. She has more than 20 years experience in working directly with charitable, non-profit organizations and has helped those entities raise millions of dollars and national attention for their respective causes.

An accomplished public speaker, Ms. Abbate has been a member of Toastmasters International, most recently serving as a chapter president, and is active in the National Speakers Bureau.

Ms. Abbate has co-authored and ghost-written several books and countless articles on various subjects, and taught business courses at the college level.

Experienced in the global transportation industry, Ms. Abbate held the position of Director of Public Relations for an international, non-profit, membership-based travel education organization for more than eleven years.

She is also the former vice president of a national marketing communications and public relations firm where she leveraged the success of high-profile clients by securing top-tier national media attention from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, Forbes, Fortune, BusinessWeek and many other targeted media.

She currently sits on the board of a Boston-area Boys & Girls Club, where she chairs the publicity committee and co-chairs the organization's annual auction.















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Corporate Sponsorship
Citizens for Rail Safety is the public source for rail safety news. Help support our mission to improve rail safety, security, and capacity with a corporate sponsorship. We are funded through member dues. Please contact Executive Director Patricia Abbate for more information.