One of the major national pupil transportation associations will soon have a new leader.

Ronna Weber, a school transportation industry consultant and the former head of the National School Transportation Association (NSTA), will take the reins at the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) on March 1, the association announced on Thursday.

Weber created Colonial Strategies, a consulting firm, in 2017. She served as the NSTA’s executive director from 2012 to 2017. Before joining the school bus contractor association’s staff, she was the U.S. export control officer for Alstom Power Inc.

As School Bus Fleet previously reported, Weber also had previous experience working with NSTA for more than 12 years as a senior associate with Prime Policy Group, where she specialized in transportation policy.

Weber has been a regular contributor to SBF over many years, covering such topics as automated vehicles, Volkswagen (VW) settlement funds, federal regulatory issues, and safely sharing the road with cyclists and scooters.

“Ronna has specialized in school transportation regulatory and legislative policy during her 25-plus years in our industry, and she is poised take our association forward in its mission, ‘to provide leadership, assistance, and motivation to the nation's school transportation community with the goal of providing safe, secure, efficient, economical, and high-quality transportation to schoolchildren on their trips to and from school and school-related activities,’” NASDPTS said in the announcement to its members.

Weber will succeed Charlie Hood in the position. As SBF previously reported, Hood, who has served as NASDPTS’s executive director for seven years, announced his plans to retire last month. His last day with the association will be March 31.  

NASDPTS also said in its announcement that Weber will work with Hood throughout March to ensure a smooth transition.