Inside the 2025 Iowa Pupil Transportation Association Conference [PHOTOS]

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Scenes from the Hawkeye state ahead! Check out highlights from the 61st annual Iowa Pupil Transportation Association (IPTA) conference in Des Moines, where school bus pros gathered for learning, laughs, and leadership.

Over 50 vendors and about 200 school bus operations professionals convened to catch hands-on demos, 1:1 convos, the awards ceremony, mechanic’s breakouts, new director training, a trade show, and even a crowd-hypnotizing performance. These snapshots capture the best moments from those who bleed yellow in the heart of Iowa.

IPTA executive director David Johnson conducts the association’s board meeting and new officer election.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

IPTA’s executive director David Johnson poses with current association and board president Carlos Guerra of Norwalk CSD. Both expressed their excitement and the growth and energy for this year’s show.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, chief support services officer at Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma, shared a message on the power of positivity, laughter, and smiles, and how each affects driver retention and student safety. She shared that 15% of bus driver retention issues are due to student (and parent) management issues.
Vann-Jackson is a director for NAPT; Iowa is one of NAPT’s affiliate states.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

IPTA’s president Carlos Guerra catches up with First Light Safety Products on the trade show floor.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Four technology breakout sessions were held to connect attendees to suppliers in small group settings. Here, Transportant’s Paul Gandrud shares the setup of one user’s camera monitoring station at his desk and shared insights into how camera tech has advanced in recent years.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Bret Brooks of Gray Ram Tactical shared tips on how to care less without being careless, a modern approach for stress management. “We need to be able to care less in our lives about things so that we can be more open and creative on problem solving,” he said. “What is caring less? It is not being inattentive. It is not negligent. It is not absent-minded. It is actually the law of reverse effect. Basically, what it says is, the less effort we put into something, we usually get better results.” Learning to prioritize and match your biggest stressors to your biggest priorities is key. Care about the right things, not every thing.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

The annual cornhole tournament let attendees get competitive through family-friendly fun with music and a barbecue to boot.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Dana Rosen, assistant director of transportation at Cypress Fairbanks ISD in Texas, presented two sessions to attendees focused on special needs content. She shared the key terms and laws all should know, how to work with your district’s SPED and IEP teams and actually see results, support drivers, provide consistency for students, and stay in compliance.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Hoglund Bus Company, an IC Bus dealership, was one of the event’s diamond sponsors. The trade show brought in over 50 vendors for attendees to meet and learn about new productions and solutions.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Wayne Lee, a comedic hypnotist, joined the conference for both a keynote message and evening entertainment. Multiple attendees participated in the demonstration showing the power of relaxation combined with suggestion. The takeaway? It’s all about mindset and thought. “What you say to yourself is your hypnotic,” he said. “Every thought creates a physical response.” This was demonstrated as those under hypnosis performed invisible musical instruments, acted like butterflies, and celebrated achieving their gold medal dream.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

John Benish from Cook-Illinois Corp. came in to talk about the benefits of biodiesel and how it is a great option for fleets ready to go green without the cost or commitment of other fuel options, as it requires no retrofits yet still offers lowered emissions and easier maintenance. “If you haven't gotten involved in the green situation at your district, you're gonna pretty soon,” he said. “Whether it's a bio product, propane, or something else, you need to start greening up your fleet, start doing some research on it, because you're gonna be asked to do something, whether it's now or the next three to five years. The green movement is coming back.”
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Tom Simpson also hosted a new director’s workshop during the conference, with a breakouts over each day to take new leaders through the state’s systems, requirements, inspections, and how to help teams succeed.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Tom Simpson, Iowa’s state transportation director, presented a legislative update, NCST highlights, and inspection trends.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Thomas Built Buses and its Iowa dealer Truck Center Companies came together to meet customers and show off its buses.
Photo: Amanda Huggett

Thomas Built Buses’ Steve Burkett shared an update from the OEM, including its new automated bus floor in its plant thanks to Lincoln Electric. This includes machines and robots that can detect incorrect floor sheets and missing tire carcasses, stopping production if necessary, and robotic cleaning stations. He also shouted out the company’s new Type D bus, which has about 50 units in the works so far and one completed.
Photo: Amanda Huggett