Staff Leadership

U.S. High Speed Rail Founder Andy Kunz is a high-speed rail expert and award-winning designer with a background in city planning, urban design, and landscape architecture.

Prior to starting the US High Speed Rail Association, Andy was a leading designer of transit-oriented development projects, working in both the public and private sectors.

Andy has testified before Congress about high speed rail and the many benefits it will bring to America. He travels widely and has appeared in numerous media including NPR, CNBC, Fox News, Bill Press Show, New York Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the Weather Channel, Global News, China Daily, Time Magazine, and Huffington Post.  

Andy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Urban Design from the University of Miami.

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Ezra Silk is the Political Director of U.S. High Speed Rail. Ezra has over a decade of public affairs experience, leading a number of high-impact issue campaigns advancing major infrastructure and climate solutions at the federal, state and local levels.

Ezra oversees USHSR's political program and manages the association's growing advocacy team.

Ezra holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Wesleyan University.

As Partnerships Director and California Political Director, Robert leads our Executive Committee recruitment program and our political efforts in the state. He develops relationships with companies, labor organizations, public agencies and other stakeholders as USHSR’s membership continues to grow and the industry expands. He also is engaged in daily USHSR operations.

Based in Sacramento, Robert has deep experience in the California Legislature, where he previously staffed the Assembly and Senate Transportation Committees. Since 2022, he has assembled a coalition of labor organizations, transit advocates, progressives, and grass roots and environmental groups who support the high-speed rail projects in California and Nevada. Robert played an instrumental role in preserving the $20 billion in annual high-speed rail funding USHSR lobbied for in 2025.

Robert is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and the School of Law at the University of San Francisco.

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