Influential Women Spotlights Helen M. Hart: Engineering Foundation For Legal Leadership At Norfolk Southern
Atlanta, Georgia – Helen Hart is a seasoned legal executive and strategic advisor with more than 26 years of experience navigating high-stakes regulatory, transactional, and corporate matters. As Senior Deputy General Counsel at Norfolk Southern Corporation, she draws on nearly two decades with the company to shape legal strategy, manage enterprise risk, strengthen regulatory compliance, and lead complex commercial transactions for one of the nation’s largest freight railroads.
Helen’s experience spans a wide range of legal areas, including commercial contracts, transportation, energy, environmental and safety law, real estate, litigation, and risk management. Across these disciplines, she translates complex legal and technical issues into practical, business-focused solutions and aligns multidisciplinary teams in highly regulated, technology-driven industries. Her ability to connect technical and legal considerations is a defining strength of her leadership.
Helen began her career as an engineer, an uncommon foundation that continues to shape her approach to legal leadership. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester, she worked in engineering roles before and while completing the evening Juris Doctor program at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School. Before joining Norfolk Southern, Helen held other legal positions, including a role at a law firm, which prepared her for nearly two decades of leadership at the company. Her legal training and experience, grounded in an engineering background, enable her to bridge engineering, operations, and legal strategy with unusual fluency.
Perseverance is central to Helen’s professional philosophy. Growing up in a rural, blue-collar community and becoming a first-generation college student taught her that creating a path forward requires hard work, resourcefulness, and grit. Her response to a difficult goal is disciplined and direct: define the issue, build a plan, and execute it. Experience, initiative, and trusted mentors have shaped her development, while the drive to keep advancing has always come from within.
At Norfolk Southern Corporation, Helen has earned progressively significant responsibilities and led initiatives with substantial financial and operational impact. In one defining example, she led the legal work on two simultaneous transactions valued at more than $400 million, negotiating transaction documents and coordinating stakeholders across multiple departments under highly compressed timelines; one became the largest line sale in the company’s history. In an operations role as Assistant Vice President Safety & Environmental, she also led a large team and oversaw enterprise-wide safety and environmental programs.
Helen approaches career development with the same deliberateness she brings to her legal leadership. The most valuable advice she has received is to be her own advocate. Meaningful relationships and strong mentors matter, but professionals cannot outsource responsibility for advancing their careers. She encourages individuals to state their ambitions clearly, pursue opportunities that build momentum, and engage mentors and professional networks as strategic partners – not substitutes for their own voice.
This philosophy is particularly relevant to Helen’s advice for young women entering the industry. She encourages them to believe in themselves, advocate for their careers, and avoid being intimidated by new challenges or transitions. Continuing to learn, building strong relationships, and maintaining perseverance and integrity are, in her view, important elements of a lasting career.
Helen also recognizes the challenges and opportunities associated with organizational change. Through the company’s many leadership transitions and amid the proposed merger, she recognizes that helping employees navigate uncertainty and transition presents real challenges. At the same time, she sees opportunities to help people recognize and build on the skills they already possess, develop new capabilities, broaden their experience, and take on expanded responsibilities as the organization evolves.
Beyond her corporate responsibilities, Helen maintains a strong commitment to community service, mentorship, and environmental stewardship. She serves in a leadership role on the Georgia Advisory Board of Trust for Public Land and is the incoming chair, supporting efforts connected to parks, green spaces, and climate-resilient community projects. She also organizes quarterly Veterans Law Project pro bono clinics for the legal department in conjunction with a law firm and Atlanta Legal Aid.
Her commitment to service extends further into her earlier career, when she devoted years of volunteer time and board work to literacy organizations supporting underserved and homeless children. These efforts reflect the same values that guide her professional life: honesty, trust, integrity, accountability, and professional excellence. Helen believes lasting success depends on trust, ethical decision-making, and treating others with respect.
Her professional accomplishments have also earned recognition, including being listed in Virginia Legal Elite for many years, with 2018 representing a particular highlight. Alongside her legal leadership, she continues to pursue lifelong learning through programs including Disrupting Yourself and Business Analytics: From Data to Insights. She is barred in Georgia, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, and is also a member of the American Bar Association, Association of Corporate Counsel, and the company’s Employee Resource Group Advisory Council.
Outside of work, Helen enjoys running, hiking and the outdoors, cooking, crafts and home projects, and spending time with her family. Together, these interests reflect the balance and sense of purpose that shape her professional and personal life. Her path from engineering to law – and from technical problem-solving to enterprise leadership – demonstrates the defining qualities of her career: perseverance, integrity, collaboration, and an enduring commitment to growth.
Learn More about Helen M. Hart:
Through her Influential Women profile: https://influentialwomen.com/connect/helen-hart
Influential Women
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