Donald Skelton is a graduate of Washington University, St Louis with an MBA in Business & Finance. Don held senior executive positions with three U.S. railroads, Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, and Illinois Central Railroads. Don has held numerous management and executive positions at those railroads, including positions pertaining to operations, pricing, marketing, consolidations, mergers and transitions. Through those multiple positions, he also engaged various business sectors including automotive, grain, coal, merchandise, intermodal, chemicals, and perishable products. Don has previously served as President of the National Freight Transportation Association, Chairman of the Board of PPU Railroad, Board Member of MSE Railroad.
Don has numerous prior civic and industry accomplishments, including President of the Traffic Club of St Louis, member of The National Industrial Transportation League, member of the Council of Logistics Management, and Traffic Club of Chicago. He is also a current member of Bonita Bay Club, Bonita Springs, FL, and the Philharmonic, Naples, Florida.
Project Advisor, Schwalb Corporate Advisory
donald@schwalb.com
In 2021 he joined FTM International (middle market investment firm) as an associate partner. Previously in 1986, Don served as a member of a World Trade mission to China representing George Deukmejian, Governor California.
Between 2008 and 2019 Don served as Chairman & CEO of Equitech International, an in-process measurement technology provider for heavy manufacturing industry. From 2013 to present, Don has been serving as a transportation and financial advisor to Illinois Clean Fuel, a firm pursuing the development of facilities for the production of ultra-clean jet fuel utilizing feedstock of biomass from municipal solid waste and pet coke.