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SBFX 2025: Highlights and Takeaways in Photos

Management•Photos 26

From Sept. 22-24, 2025, School Bus Fleet ConneX (SBFX) brought together about 100 school bus operators and suppliers in Scottsdale, Arizona, for two full days of keynotes presentations, peer and vendor meetings, and plenty of networking. Highlights included leadership lessons from U.S. Navy Commander Kirk Lippold, leadership insights from NAPT’s Molly McGee Hewitt, an operator’s perspective on team accountability, and a panel that tackled topics like the driver shortage, culture, and student behavior.

The event also featured one-on-one vendor meetings and SBF’s annual awards ceremony, where Jackie Wilkerson Brown of Dean Transportation was honored as the first-ever School Bus Driver Hero Award recipient. Find these moments and more in this photo gallery!

Highlights from Last Year: School Bus Pros Gather in Arizona for Education & Networking: SBFX 2024 Recap

Dawnett Wright from Peninsula School District meets with Thomas Built Buses, one of the event's presenting sponsors. 

Photo: Amanda Huggett

In a captivating opening keynote address on the Pillars of Leadership, former U.S. Navy commanding officer Kirk Lippold of the USS Cole discussed his experience when the ship came under a suicide terrorist attack by al Qaeda in the port of Yemen in 2000. 

Photo: Amanda Huggett

Chris McLeod, director of transportation at Henry County Schools in Georgia, presented Tuesday’s morning session on accountability as a retention strategy for transportation teams, sharing strategies to keep team members engaged and supported. In McLeod’s own district, increasing accountability helped increase their drivers’ on-time performance by about 10% and helped reclaim hours into each day. “If you use accountability as your copilot in every decision that you make, in every conversation that you have, you will have game-changing priorities and progress,” he said. 

Photo: Amanda Huggett

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Molly McGee Hewitt, executive director and CEO of the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), presented tips for building effective transportation team, offering encouragement for leaders facing challenges and advocating for themselves. "You are all more than enough,” she said. “You have expertise and experience. I believe you are in your position today for a reason. I believe that together, we are so much stronger and that we have what we need. Embrace that purpose and embrace that season that you're in."

Photo: Amanda Huggett

Day 2 ended with a delicious dinner and drinks outside on Paradise Park Lawn at the Scottsdale Resort and Spa.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

Frank Gazeley from Transfinder meets with Trevis Sallis from Omaha Public Schools. 

Photo: Amanda Huggett

At the welcome dinner, SBF and METRO Publisher George Brennan welcomed attendees, sharing important event announcements and teeing up the keynote speaker, who came again after his 2023 address received rave reviews. 

Photo: Tavits Photography

Contractor of the Year: Michael Brown, Michael's Transportation, stands with George Brennan and Chad Duncan, IC Bus and event award sponsor

Photo: Tavits Photography

Special School District transportation leaders meet with AngelTrax's Laci Hatley.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

Lippold's wartime lessons lent themselves to practical tips school transportation leaders can use, like trusting your team members. “You have to remember, invest in leadership," he advised. "First and foremost is the investment you choose to make in yourself. You will be that natural leader because you develop that arc to be able to do it. These are the key tenants that I found truly paid dividends during those defining moments.”

Photo: Amanda Huggett

A key feature of SBFX is our one-on-one appointments. Modeled after speed dating, each district or contractor operator spent 10 minutes with vendors carefully selected based on their needs and interests. This allowed them to seek new technological solutions, receive personalized demos, and talk through their everyday challenges.

Photo: Tavits Photography

Cigars & Cordials helped wrap up the first day where everyone kicked back to continue connecting with each other, meet Commander Lippold, and absorb his inspiring message.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

This year, SBFX was co-located with the Public Transit & Technology Exchange (PTTX), hosted in conjunction with our sister brand METRO. Select portions of the event held both group’s attendees, including the evening’s networking activities.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

Jackie Wilkerson Brown was announced as the first-ever 2025 School Bus Driver Hero award winner and honored at the event. She offers a funny and tearful speech about her gratitude for the award and love of the industry as George Brennan, SBF publisher, Todd Sharp from Dean Transportation and Laci Hatley on behalf of award sponsor AngelTrax stand next to her.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

The 2025 Administrator of the Year Kimberly Jones of Chicago Public Schools stands with 2025 School Bus Driver Hero award winner Jackie Wilkerson Brown of Dean Transportation.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

SBF executive editor Amanda Huggett stands with 2025 Contractor of the Year Michael Brown of Michael’s Transportation Service.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

Throughout the event, select vendors hosted small-group presentations to share key features about their technologies that can help operators increase efficiency, reveal product roadmaps, and answer questions about their services or customers’ pain points.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

In a collaborative panel discussion on trends the industry is facing, two of School Bus Fleet’s editorial advisory board members Alex Spann and Teri Mapengo, talked with 2025 Trailblazer Latisha McIntyre Johnson and SBF editor Amanda Huggett about the driver shortage, retention, building positive workplace cultures, urban versus rural considerations, and student behavior. 

Photo: Tavits Photography

2025 Administrator of the Year: Kimberly Jones, Chicago Public Schools, stands with George Brennan and Chad Duncan, IC Bus and event award sponsor

Photo: Tavits Photography

Coleen Xaudaro from Issaquah School District meets with RIDE, one of the event's presenting sponsors. 

Photo: Amanda Huggett

About 100 suppliers and operators came together for the annual event that connects solutions and users together in a unique format.

Photo: Tavits Photography

Sourcewell’s group discussion touched on the benefits of cooperative purchasing, which can offer an average cost savings of $7 to $12k per RFP. Andy Campbell and Natalie Morgan walked the group through the challenges of procurement policies, seeking board approval, and the importance of educating stakeholders about school bus operations.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

After a long day, attendees enjoyed dinner, drinks, and music from Adam Townsend Duo on the lush resort lawns. 

Photo: Tavits Photography

Teri Mapengo from Prosper ISD in Texas meets with Verra Mobility.

Photo: Amanda Huggett

Chad Duncan presents an update on IC Bus as one of the event's presenting sponsors. 

Photo: Tavits Photography

2025 School Bus Driver Hero award winner, sponsored by AngelTrax: Jackie Wilkerson Brown, stands with George Brennan, SBF publisher, Todd Sharp, Dean Transportation, and Laci Hatley, AngelTrax

Photo: Tavits Photography