Identifying a group of women making big moves in the school transportation industry was not hard. In fact, once I started asking around, I quickly had a list of way more people to talk to than we had room for in this magazine. So, for now, here are just five of the countless women we think you should know (stay tuned for even more!).

If there’s one thing these women have in common, it’s passion — both for their careers and the cargo on board the buses they oversee. Here are their stories (in part).

Five Women to Watch

Alexandra Robinson

President, A. Robinson Consulting, and Founder, wit., California

Starting out in the classroom as a teacher and behavioral specialist and working with students who were severely emotionally disturbed led Robinson to a role as a crisis intervention specialist in charge of behavior on the buses at a transportation department on the East Coast. That led her to a state education department and to leading several large transportation operations in the United States, including the largest.

She says serving as executive director of the largest school district in the United States was a highlight in her career, especially since she was one of only a few women on the executive team. “Being terminated from that job was certainly one of my biggest challenges, but essentially one of the things I’m also proud of: my integrity led me to the decisions that were made and I’m proud of the leadership I provided.”

While offering expert testimony and consulting now, she is still largely involved in and respected for her expertise and work with NAPT and the NCST.

Over 10 years ago, Robinson co-founded a group called wit. to help support, mentor, and promote women in transportation.

Jenna Fromm

CEO and Co-Owner, Palmer Bus Service, Minnesota

2024 was a big year for the team at Palmer Bus Service, a Minnesota-based contractor with a fleet of over 700 buses. Not only did they win the Contractor of the Year Award from the NSTA and Top Transportation Teams award from Transfinder, but also celebrated their 50th anniversary, and were first to pilot a new RNG technology. 

One face behind this family-owned company is Jenna Fromm, who grew up cleaning buses as her father ran the business, then started driving at 18 (including bringing herself and her classmates to school her senior year!). After trying her hand at teaching Spanish then fitness classes, it was her time to shine in the family business. While she called herself “wholly inadequate” at first, it’s clear she was the right person for the job.

“I tend to be somebody that is more thoughtful and introverted,” she said. “My picture of leadership was somebody with a lot of charisma, who could command a room, and I questioned whether a personality like mine could be an effective leader.” 

Now 10 years in, she loves seeing her team excel, which she likens to an Olympian doing what they were meant to do. 

“I have loved the feeling that I get to make a difference,” she said of her career. “Think of all the people that are dependent on that yellow school bus. If COVID taught us anything, it's how much we're all connected, and we all need that service.”

Katrina Morris

Transportation Director, West Shore (Mich.) ESD, and Executive Director, Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation

Some people learn to lead, but for Morris, it came naturally. The oldest of seven, taking care of others became embedded into her personality. When her own children started school, school bus drivers were needed. Initially pushing it off as a self-proclaimed multi-fender discount holder, she was talked into it. After driving, she moved to the office as a dispatcher/router, viewing the role like putting together a puzzle.

“I absolutely loved building relationships with the kids,” she said. “It was and still is the best part of my job. “But with the transportation director role came the responsibility that I take very seriously, keeping our students and drivers safe.”

That’s why she got involved in her state association, where she was named Supervisor of the Year and eventually became executive director.

Thanks to a strong team of multiple agencies and organizations, she’s most proud of getting an $810,000 grant for School Bus Safety and Security training mandated in Michigan. It has now been taught in 35 other states.

One challenge she cites is a six-year battle to get a bill package (Michigan House Bills 4201-4204) for school bus safety passed into law in 2022, which was successful.

Rosalyn Vann-Jackson

Chief Support Services Officer, Broken Arrow (Okla.) Public Schools; President, NAPT

Two decades ago, Vann-Jackson was working in HR, but found her way to the yellow bus, landing a position as a special needs coordinator for a school district in Tulsa. Not long after, she began taking on expanded responsibilities. Little did she know at the time that she was being prepped as the director’s successor.

“I vividly remember a life-changing moment early in my career,” she said. “I responded to a call about a student who had reluctantly exited a bus at a driver's urging, only to be tragically shot and killed shortly after. That devastating event solidified my purpose and calling: to ensure no other student under my watch would face such a fate.” 

And now, she embraces every opportunity to make a difference. Vann-Jackson was the first and only individual to receive the Administrator of the Year award twice from the Oklahoma Association of Pupil Transportation, where she was also the youngest president. 

She’s also a board member for the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT) and on multiple committees, including public policy, and serves on the National Congress on School Transportation (NCST) writing committee. 

However, her proudest achievements are not accolades, but the teams she’s worked with. “From managing driver shortages and bus fires to responding to rollover collisions and fatalities, I’ve witnessed firsthand the resilience, adaptability, and dedication of transportation professionals,” she said.

Summer Adams

Director of Transportation, Nacogdoches Independent School District

Adams may be young and new in her role, but she’s already making waves. While still in college, she was on the lookout for a job with flexible hours. Enter school bus driving and an intrigue that she couldn’t pass up. 

“I became eager to learn in both aspects academically and socially,” she said. After working her way into leadership roles and graduating, she became transportation supervisor at Pearland ISD, but after four years, was called to move East. Last school year, she landed at her current district and began this one as a director.

“Moving minds in the oldest town in Texas” is a phrase Adams launched to motivate not just students, but also district staff. She takes pride in developing her team, bringing them to other campuses and exposing them to guest speakers to cultivate an atmosphere of learning.

“While the driver shortage is a concern, the challenge will always be student management,” she said. Because Adams notices that drivers often struggle with implementing interactive skills with students while trying to drive, she holds monthly workshops, which allows the drivers to feel heard, advise one another, and empowers them.

Advice for Other Aspiring Women

• Summer Adams: “No matter what others say or believe, your work ethic should be a reflection of your integrity.”

• Alexandra Robinson: “Don’t be surprised when your ideas are not heard, but keep pushing and seek out those who will listen. There is something to be said about mimicking and flattery: people will use your ideas and claim them for their own bottom line. Remember to not just do things right, but to always do the right thing.”

• Rosalyn Vann-Jackson: “I would emphasize the importance of networking and professional development. Staying connected with peers and actively engaging in the professional community are essential for growth. Seek out these opportunities, build relationships, and remain open to continuous learning.”

• Jenna Fromm: “Treat yourself as if you were your own best friend. Don’t be afraid to do something because it won’t be perfect. Clean up what didn’t work and keep going. That’s very freeing.”

• Katrina Morris: “Don’t take no for an answer! Think outside of the box and find a way. Be real. Be passionate and speak from the heart. You don’t have to be perfect; just speak your passion and make them feel what you have to say.”

Gender Disparities in School Transportation

Despite progress, there are still challenges many women encounter in the workplace.

Vann-Jackson has experienced bias firsthand. “As president of our state association, a male superior once commented that the association I led must be small, implying I lacked the capability to lead a large organization,” she said. “I quickly pointed out that the association I managed was larger than his own. My approach has always been to let my work speak for itself and to treat everyone with dignity and fairness.”

Robinson points to the pay disparity: “I was hired at my last position with a master's degree, yet a male counterpart was hired after me without a degree, starting at $50K more. We could definitely use more female presence in the fleet and technician areas, but we should also encourage women in these educational and vocational fields.”

While Morris has not witnessed different treatment, she admits she has not allowed it to happen in the first place. “I always tell people you have to be right on the line of arrogance and confidence,” she said. “I remember feeling overwhelmed when I went to speak on the Capitol steps. All these people had their public policy people write their speeches — I didn’t even have one! Then I remembered I don’t need to write it down and be perfect; I just have to be me and tell my story.”

“Women feel that they need to tick off every box on a qualification sheet to try for a new job,” Fromm pointed out. “If they can get to 70% and have the confidence and savvy to learn what they don’t know and accept help, that’s the biggest piece for me.”

A Fair Workplace for All

Every single woman here reminded the importance of building a team and creating an environment where character and strong values are modeled from the top down.

“Each of us holds the responsibility for the culture that we are all a part of,” Fromm said. “If we all focus on treating everybody with dignity and as an individual, we would have a lot fewer problems.”

“I believe the key lies in focusing on what unites us rather than what divides us,” Vann-Jackson said. “In our profession, we share a profound purpose: serving the students who represent the future of our communities. By emphasizing collaboration, respect, and shared values, we can build environments where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute ideas and talents that lead us all to positive results.”

The old saying, “treat others as you want to be treated” is a good mantra to go by anywhere we go — school bus or otherwise.

What is wit.?

Women in Transportation (wit.) is unique in its mission and focus: formed to address and promote inclusive and diverse leadership in the transportation industry. At wit’s core are experienced women transportation professionals, who have led, trained, transported, and facilitated transportation operations throughout the world. To that end, in 2015, a resolution was passed at the 16th National Congress on School Transportation (NCST) specifically addressing and requiring action regarding the diversity and representation, (or lack thereof) on our collective industry committees, leadership, and national transportation environment.

Other groups to support women in student transportation exist, too, such as VOCE in Iowa and WiST in Minnesota.