• Age: 32
• Role: Founder & Chief Operating Officer
• Employer: CST (Collaborative Student Transportation)
• Location: Minneapolis, MN

Dillon LaHaye is nothing short of an inspirational entrepreneur driven by a desire to help people who need it most.

Like many, his career began "in the trenches," routing buses for school districts. Doing so, he was able to see first-hand the gaps in service for students in crisis. In 2018, he made a move to do something about it. Recognizing the need for a better model to serve vulnerable students, Collaborative Student Transportation (CST) was born.

While building the business from his hometown in Minneapolis, he served as CEO to get it off the ground. Once momentum built, he tapped a powerful local leader and former superintendent — Dr. Stephanie Burrage — to take the reins as he stepped back to take on a role as the COO.

Since then, he’s founded even more businesses, including for the broader Colorfuel organization, which serves as the parent company for CST and LaHaye’s other collaborative ventures.

“I’ve always loved bringing people together, solving puzzles, and building systems that help things run smoothly,” he said. “Somewhere between my love for board games and my passion for helping others, student transportation was the right fit for me. Every day feels like I’m managing the world’s most important cooperative game — making sure students get where they need to be safely, and activating teams to work together to solve the challenges found within student transportation.”

LaHaye built a career focused on solving the most complex logistical challenges in student transportation, specifically for vulnerable student populations, including special needs, McKinney-Vento, and foster care students, Dr. Burrage said in his nomination.

Under his leadership, CST grew from a local initiative to a national support system for school districts across the U.S. in 17 states and counting.

A Day in the Life

As the father of young twins plus a 6-year-old, LaHaye’s mornings start early, which was no shock after working in school busing.

Every day for him consists of a mix of problem-solving, collaboration, and adapting to the needs of the hour. As COO, he bridges the gap between high-level strategy and daily operations. This includes implementing robust preventive maintenance programs and safety standards and overseeing the vetting of service providers, driver background checks, and the analysis of student data to create cost-effective, efficient routes.

“I feel my job is to help inspire our teams across the country and ensure that all aspects of our operation are working together to support whatever our school partners need that day,” he said. “To me, transportation, technology, compliance, and communication are all chapters of the same story that I have the privilege of being able to share with our communities across the country.”

Outside of CST, he loves working with educational organizations, including his alma mater, Concordia University in St. Paul (check out his interview on their podcast here!).

Leadership Principles

Along the way, LaHaye has learned that meaningful growth requires empathy. As CST grows, he ensures the team balances scale with humanity, which to him means building systems that are efficient without losing flexibility or compassion.

“Transportation is never just about logistics,” he said. “It reflects the realities of students’ lives, families’ circumstances, and the unique needs of each community.

LaHaye leads all his ventures with a colorful outlook on life and infectious energy and passion. He emphasizes opportunities over limitations.

“I’ve found that when people feel supported and understand the impact of their work, they naturally bring more creativity, accountability, and collaboration,” he said.

For others, the advice he gives is what was also told to him: to give more than you take, and to stay curious yet grounded. “When you focus on service, on lifting others up and shining the spotlight outward, trust grows naturally,” he said.

His hope for the future of the industry is continued evolution toward smarter, more sustainable solutions that prioritize safety, trust, and community impact.

And for himself, he wants to keep building spaces that offer stability, support, and hope, whether through transportation or the broader school ecosystem.

“If our work empowers communities and strengthens students’ educational journeys, that’s the future I want to be part of,” he said.