Ken Kuwamura

Ken Kuwamura
Ken Kuwamura
Director of Employee Relations Southern Region
Union Pacific Railroad

Ken Graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1980 with a BS in Education. He coached in San Antonio, Texas for 12 years and was a high school administrator for three years. During this time his team won a state championship in 1986 in basketball and led several football teams to the state play-offs.

In 1986 he obtained two master degrees from the Our Lady of the Lake University in Education and Management. He spent 9 years as an Education Service Specialist for the US Navy and US Army. As the US Navy ESS he received many honors, he was the first civilian in the command to be awarded the Navy Marine Achievement Medal and in 2000 -2002 he received the Admirals Award for being Civilian of the Year for the Department of Defense. He then took a promotion in the Department of the Army as the Educational Specialist in Command Headquarters. He was named Civilian of the year in 2005 for the Department of Defense after being on the job less than six months.

In 2006 he was given an opportunity to join Union Pacific Railroad as a Recruitment Manager in the HR Department. He was promoted to Senior Recruitment Manager where he was involved in Diversity and EEO Training for the field employees and managers. His work in this area has been recognized locally, state wide and nationally for improving employee engagement in the workplace which has reduced injuries and increased productivity in the field.

In 2015 he was promoted to Director of Employee Relations for the Southern Region. He is responsible for a six state area and is the neutral counsel between management and union employees. He also is advisor to the 8 Employee Resource groups in the company and involved in community outreach in the southern region.