A reflection on women's progress in male-dominated fields, celebrating the leaders, mentors, and allies who have transformed workplaces and continue shaping a more inclusive future.
Her Story
About Helen
Helen Hart is an accomplished legal leader with more than 26 years of experience in regulatory, transactional, and corporate law, currently serving as Senior Deputy General Counsel at Norfolk Southern Corporation. With nearly two decades at the company, she has become a trusted strategic advisor, guiding legal strategy, enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, and complex commercial transactions across one of the nation's largest freight railroads. Her broad expertise spans environmental and safety law, real estate, commercial contracts, transportation, litigation, and risk management. Helen is recognized for delivering practical, business-focused legal solutions while fostering collaboration across multidisciplinary teams in highly regulated, technology-driven industries. What sets Helen apart is her uncommon career journey from engineering to law. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from University of Rochester, she worked as an engineer before pursuing a Juris Doctor, finishing the evening program at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School while maintaining full-time employment. This unique combination of technical and legal expertise enables her to bridge the gap between engineering, operations, and legal strategy. Throughout her career, she has led high-impact initiatives, including negotiating two transactions exceeding $400 million simultaneously and under very compressed timelines—one of which was the largest line sale in her company's history—and has also served as Assistant Vice President of Safety & Environmental, leading a large team and overseeing enterprise-wide safety and environmental programs. Beyond her corporate leadership, Helen is deeply committed to community service, mentorship, and environmental stewardship. She serves in a leadership role on the Georgia Advisory Board of Trust for Public Land, helping expand access to parks, green spaces, and climate-resilient community projects. In addition, she organizes quarterly Veterans Law Project pro bono clinics for the legal department in conjunction with a law firm and Atlanta Legal Aid. Earlier in her career, she dedicated years of volunteer service to literacy organizations supporting underserved and homeless children. A recognized legal professional, including being listed in Virginia Legal Elite for many years, with a highlight in 2018, Helen continues to champion ethical leadership, diversity, collaboration, and lifelong learning. Outside of work, she enjoys running, hiking and the outdoors, cooking, crafts and home projects, and spending time with her family, reflecting the balanced and purpose-driven approach that defines both her personal and professional life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Helen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to perseverance shaped by growing up in a rural, blue‑collar community where creating my own path required hard work, resourcefulness, and grit. When I see a goal or an issue that needs to be addressed, I build a plan and execute it. I learned to navigate the professional world through experience, initiative, and by seeking out mentors who helped me grow — but the drive to move forward has always come from within.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be your own advocate. Building meaningful connections and cultivating mentors is essential, but you cannot rely on others to champion your career. If you have a goal, take ownership of it: articulate what you want, pursue the opportunities that move you forward, and use mentors and networks as strategic partners, not substitutes for your own voice. Your career advances fastest when you advocate for yourself with clarity and intention.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Believe in yourself, advocate for your career, and don't be intimidated by new challenges or transitions. Continue learning, build strong relationships, and recognize that perseverance and integrity will open doors throughout your career.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The company’s proposed merger presents real challenges, particularly in helping employees navigate change and the uncertainty that comes with organizational transition. At the same time, it creates meaningful opportunities for people to build new skills, broaden their experience, and take on expanded responsibilities as the organization evolves.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, Trust, Integrity, Accountability, Professional Excellence. Lasting success is built on trust, ethical decision-making, and treating others with respect.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Helen
Women Who Change the World
Reflecting on three decades of witnessing women transform male-dominated fields into spaces of shared leadership and excellence.
Celebrating Women’s Progress and the Leaders Who Continue to Shape the Future
During Women’s History Month, I’m reminded of how far women have come—and how much change I have had the privilege to witness firsthand.
I began my career in engineering more than 30 years ago and later moved into law. Both fields were, at the time, overwhelmingly male-dominated. In those early years, it wasn’t unusual to be the only woman in the room, the only woman on the manufacturing floor, or the only woman at the table where decisions were being made.
But over the decades, those rooms have changed.
Today, I work alongside exceptional women who are leading complex engineering programs, shaping legal strategy, and redefining what leadership looks like. They bring technical expertise, strategic clarity, and a collaborative strength that elevates the work of everyone around them.
Their presence is not an exception—it is a powerful and growing norm.
Progress like this does not happen in isolation. It happens because talented women continue stepping forward, even when the path is not obvious. It happens because mentors, advocates, and allies choose to open doors, amplify voices, and create space for women to thrive.
I am grateful for every person who has done that work—quietly or boldly—and for every woman who has persisted, excelled, and led.
Women’s History Month is a celebration of the trailblazers who paved the way, the women excelling today, the advocates who make progress possible, and the next generation who will take us even further.
The rooms we walk into today look different because of them—and because of us.
Here’s to continuing that momentum, together.
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