Virginia transportation director earns NAPT certification

WARRENTON, Va. — The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) has certified Cheryl Fisher as a director of pupil transportation.

Fisher is the director of transportation for Fauquier County Public Schools. She became the 151st person in the U.S. and Canada to earn NAPT’s director certification.

To earn the certification, Fisher underwent a peer review of her education, career experience and achievements in the field of transportation operations. Other requirements for the program include taking professional development courses, presenting a workshop, attending two NAPT conferences and passing a written test.

Fisher said that she started working on the certification several years ago as a self-appointed goal.

“I was working hard to make my place in the transportation field and started taking the NAPT professional development courses to learn all I could about transportation and being a leader,” she said. “I was hooked. The knowledge I have gained over the years has made me better at my job and in life.”

Fisher has been the director of the Fauquier transportation department since 2009. She has more than 25 years of experience in pupil transportation.

Fisher said that she found pursuing the national certification to be “very challenging.” To fulfill the requirement for presenting a workshop at the national or state level, she became an instructor for NAPT, teaching several courses at national and state conferences.

“This was new for me and way out of my comfort zone, but I discovered I really like it,” she said.

Fisher currently serves as the secretary of the Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation and is the editor of the association’s newsletter. Both roles helped her earn the national certification.

Janice Bourne, Fauquier’s assistant superintendent for administration, commended Fisher for her recent achievement.

“Ms. Fisher has a wealth of experience and is dedicated to providing safe transportation services for our students,” Bourne said. “This certification attests to her passion for her work and commitment to our students. We are fortunate to have someone of Ms. Fisher’s caliber lead our transportation services.”