MENU
SEARCHAt the National Association for Pupil Transportation’s (NAPT) conference in Austin last month, Lenny Bernstein began his two-year tenure as the group’s president, taking the reins from Steve Kalmes.
At the National Association for Pupil Transportation’s (NAPT) conference in Austin last month, Lenny Bernstein began his two-year tenure as the group’s president, taking the reins from Steve Kalmes.
Bernstein, who also serves as transportation coordinator for Haverstraw-Stony Point Central School District in Garnerville, N.Y., discussed with SCHOOL BUS FLEET his early goals for the tenure and his thoughts on the conference. For more from Bernstein, see his president’s message in this issue.
SBF: Now that you’ve taken over as president of NAPT, what’s the first item on your to-do list?
BERNSTEIN: It was to arrange my calendar for the coming year. It seems that once you become president, all of a sudden you need to be in a lot of different places at different times. I just want to make sure that I can get to everywhere I need to be.
How difficult will it be for you to juggle your job responsibilities with your NAPT responsibilities?
I’m very fortunate that I have a great staff in my district. I also have unbelievable support from the district administration. They realize how important it is for me to be involved. At the same time, I have a great executive director at NAPT and the involvement of the board of directors. We’re all on the same page. It’s the classic team-effort approach.
What do you see as the association’s greatest strength?
Our greatest strength is the number of members that we have and, along with that, their sincere dedication to our industry.
Where do you think NAPT could improve most?
I really think we can and will improve in our communication to our membership. It’s at a good point, but we want to make it a whole lot better. We’re going to be offering a lot of different things to improve it.
What was the highlight of the event in Austin?
Standing in front of our membership to accept the presidency and having my family and friends there along with me. At the same time, it was great for me to honor [outgoing president] Steve Kalmes in my first official act. He’s been very, very helpful in making this a smooth transition.
Stop bidding everything and try a simpler way. Here's how cooperative purchasing can streamline purchases while maintaining compliance. Sourcewell breaks down the process in this episode of The Route, sponsored by IC Bus.
Read More →
The alternative transportation company expands its services to traditional yellow buses with the launch of a new division focused on helping school districts optimize their routes.
Read More →
Roberts, 35, serves as the lead IT application engineer for vehicle electrification at First Student, where he helps shape scalable, real-world EV infrastructure to support student transportation.
Read More →
Swazer, 29, serves as director of transportation at Puyallup School District, where he champions student wellbeing and inspires the next generation of industry leaders.
Read More →
Dubas, 38, serves as sales manager and safety advocate at IMMI, where she advances school bus occupant protection through industry education, OEM collaboration, and proactive safety policy efforts.
Read More →
Kramlick, 30, runs operations for TransPar in Hawaii, where he also showed dedication while helping Maui recover from the recent wildfires.
Read More →
Moore, 32, grew up around the school bus, leading him to the classroom and eventually inspiring high-performing teams while bringing operations in house (twice).
Read More →
Baran, 38, serves as transportation supervisor at Odyssey Charter School in Delaware, where he leads daily operations with a focus on safety and professional growth.
Read More →
Maybee, 36, leads transportation operations for Denver Public Schools, where he is advancing equity, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration to improve student access.
Read More →
Higgins, 38, serves as director of industry engagement at TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking), where she equips school transportation professionals with the tools to recognize and report human trafficking.
Read More →
