MISSOULA, Mont. — Education Logistics (Edulog) has contracted with North Carolina's former state director of pupil transportation to provide consulting services to the company and its clients.

As School Bus Fleet previously reported, Derek Graham retired in February. In his role as state director of pupil transportation, he led a team with responsibilities for efficiency-based funding allocations, information systems, and the inspection, maintenance, and replacement of school buses.

Before his appointment to state director in 1995, Graham managed the statewide implementation of the Transportation Information Management System (TIMS), which is used throughout North Carolina for computer-assisted school bus routing and scheduling. TIMS uses the Edulog software to create and manage efficient school transportation plans.

Graham has spent his entire career in the pupil transportation industry, and was involved not only in North Carolina but also nationally through the American School Bus Council and its member associations.

“The industry has developed in no small part due to a culture of sharing with and learning from each other. I hope to continue that approach through my work with Edulog,” Graham said. “I’ve seen an amazing evolution of technology, which now touches virtually every aspect of school transportation operations. We have to be smart about how each component is implemented and I’m excited about the opportunity to help school districts to address the real-world implications when implementing Edulog’s technology solutions.”

“Derek brings vast knowledge and variety of experiences in the industry, and we are excited to expand our collective expertise by adding him to our team,” said Jason Corbally, president of Edulog. "His proactive approach to numerous projects — including statewide routing, stop-arm violation awareness, public awareness, including Love the Bus as examples — is well-recognized. While Derek will focus on policy, funding, and efficiency projects, he will also be in a position of contributing to a wider array of initiatives that will be directly, or indirectly, beneficial to our clients throughout the country.”

During his time with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Graham also served as president of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) and held multiple offices within the Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference (SESPTC), where he will continue to serve as treasurer.