2011 Award Winners

Scott began his career in school transportation in 1991 and has consistently demonstrated a         commitment to excellence in all areas, but a special emphasis on safety. When visiting an operation, he is known to ask drivers safety related questions and thank them for their hard work. Over the years, Scott has served as a judge for multiple driver safety competitions and has taken classes to become a certified trainer. He has always focused on more than the process of transporting children to and from school, including the quality of service provided. This is demonstrated by a campaign he developed called “Smile Awhile”. 

Through posters and buttons, this program reminds employees to be friendly to the students they transport and to each other, making a positive impact on the lives children they transport and on their colleagues.

 

Leonard has been a part of the school bus industry for a little over 40 years.   He began in the industry as a driver, and then served as a representative to the National Congress on School Transportation and the Maryland State School Bus Specifications Committee. He served as association President for six years for the Maryland School Bus Contractors Association (MSBCA). During his tenure as President, Leonard worked to hire a lobbyist for MSBCA and testified on the association’s behalf in Annapolis.

 


      Joseph Gilbert, Sr.—Gilbert Bus Company, North East, MD—2011 Golden Merit Recipient

Joseph founded his school transportation business, Gilbert Bus Company, in 1987. He immediately joined the Maryland School Bus Contractors Association, and since that time, has served as Vice-President for the Central Region and Finance Chairman. He is a dedicated professional who makes sure his customers are fully supported.   In one instance, Joseph sent two buses—and one for himself—to return students safely home after being stranded across the state.

 

Keytha started driving a school bus in 1963. Today, Keytha serves as Regional Manager for American School Bus, a subsidiary of Cook-Illinois Corporation. In addition to coordinating daily home to school, school to home service of over 300 buses, she has also coordinated transportation services for the World Cup, the U.S. Senior Open, and the U.S. Open. Thanks to Keytha’s willingness to be a mentor, many school bus directors and executives have learned and gone on to be successful in the industry.

 

Todd’s family began Bergen-Passaic Transportation Service in 1927, Todd being a fourth generation contractor. In 2002, the family sold Bergen-Passiac to First Student and Todd joined on as Region Vice-President. Committed to the safety of both passengers and employees, Todd has been involved with the New Jersey Bus Safety Committee for nearly 20 years. He has been on the Bus Driver Safety Competition committee since 1997 and focuses on the course design, set-up, and event operations.

 In addition, Todd is very involved with industry associations. He served on the board of Directors for the New Jersey School Bus Owners Association from 1992 to 1998. In 1999 Todd joined NSTA and was nominated to the Board of Directors in 2001. He served as Membership Committee chairman from 2002 to 2007.

 

Carina joined National Express in 2001 and moved to the Durham School Services division in 2005 as Marketing Manager. She has since worked her way up to Vice President of Marketing and Communications. She has also served as the chairperson for NSTA’s Marketing and Communications committee and is also a member of the American School Bus Council’s marketing committee. During her tenure at Durham, Carina implemented a crisis management system that provided general managers quick, direct access to their company’s top communications professionals to manage any communications issue or crisis. 

Carina was also instrumental in Durham’s ongoing support for the Special Olympics, serving on the Special Olympics Illinois marketing committee. As NSTA Marketing and Communications chair, Carina played a big role in helping NSTA to update its image, overhaul its website, and increase media attention for the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition.

 

Donnie has been a member of NSTA for almost 30 years. During that time he has served as chairman for the Safety and Security Committee, overseeing the association's safety efforts, policy statements and the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition. Most recently, Mr. Fowler served as the President for NSTA from 2009 to 2011. Throughout his membership, Donnie has made significant contributions to NSTA and to the yellow school bus industry. He has been a representative to the ASBC and has served as President of the Missouri School Bus Contractors Association.  You can read Donnie's full press release here.

Robert Smith—Cook-Illinois, Oak Forest, IL—2011 Distinguished Service Award

Robert has been in transportation management for over 39 years. Over the years, Mr. Smith has proven that he is a team player and is willing to do his share to get the job done. He has spent much of his time working with customers, hearing their needs responding to their concerns. He is actively involved in veteran’s affairs issue across the state. You can read Robert’s full press release here.

 

Doug has provided outstanding service not only to his employer, but to his community. He takes safety seriously and continually gives back to the students and families in the Kodiak area. Recently, Payelle was one of four First Student drivers at his location to receive a bonus for having perfect attendance. He donated his entire bonus to a special needs student at Kodiak Middle School who is currently undergoing radiation treatment for terminal cancer. This is just one example of Payelle’s commitment to his profession and those around him. You can read full First Student's full press release here.

 

Nancy began her school transportation career nearly 45 years ago. Since that time, she has transitioned from driver to training center manager. She is known for her commitment to safety with her diligent site visits, safety audits and focus on outstanding maintenance and safety standards. Schulz is a trusted mentor to her colleagues and serves as the chief judge at NSTA’s International Safety Competition. She has received the National Safety Council’s Distinguished Service Award, the Kansas State Pupil Transportation Association’s (KSPTA) Lifetime Achievement Award and was named First Student’s “Woman of the Year” in 2010. You can read First Student's full Press Release here.
 

Riteway Bus Service has taken the idea of “going green” to a new level. They have implemented idling reduction policies, retrofitted their vehicles to emit cleaner emissions, and upgraded their fleet with the newest vehicles available. In addition to adopting these strategies, Riteway installed a solar-powered charging station to charge the batteries of their 15 plug-in hybrid school buses. In addition to the plug-in hybrids, Riteway has adopted "greening" strategies internally. They produce a quarterly newsletter that contains a regular segment devoted to green issues. They also take advantage of Skype video conferencing services for their weekly operational meetings, have gone “paperless” by making a substantial investment in document management software.