Seeing Clearly for Safer School Bus Transportation: The Power of Vision Technology
BusPatrol Hires 2 New Executives
The appointments bring a new chief technology officer and chief people officer to the stop-arm safety provider.

The Virginia-based company welcomes two new C-suite execs to drive forward its safety technology and market position.
Photo: BusPatrol/SBF Canva
BusPatrol welcomes two new individuals to its executive team, according to a Nov. 26 company announcement.
The new appointments brings Manoj Shende in as chief technology officer and Kate Manahan as chief people officer.
Manoj Shende Named Chief Technology Officer
As new CTO, Shende will continue developing and implementing BusPatrol’s stop-arm safety solution. He is charged with spearheading initiatives that will enhance the platform experience for BusPatrol customers and extend BusPatrol’s substantial technology capabilities into new areas of product innovation.
Shende brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in engineering, product development, and DevOps. He joins BusPatrol after leading technology development at Aptiv, ServiceNow, and Microsoft, among others. At each, he scaled high-availability platforms to millions of users and developed transformative technologies, including AI, cloud computing, and connected vehicles.
“I’ve dedicated my career to driving innovation that has a lasting impact on society,” said Shende. “Joining BusPatrol at this exciting time is a unique opportunity to contribute to an essential mission – making the world a safer place for children. I’m thrilled to be part of the team and eager to build on BusPatrol’s success in creating smarter, safer transportation solutions.”
Kate Manahan Joins BusPatrol as Chief People Officer
As chief people officer, Manahan will oversee all aspects of BusPatrol’s human resources, talent acquisition and management, and diversity and inclusion efforts. Manahan brings a wealth of experience and a visionary approach to developing high-performing teams and fostering learning-based cultures.
Prior to joining BusPatrol, Manahan served in the same role at Built Technologies, where she was responsible for developing the entire people strategy, function, and processes. Before that, Manahan spent 15 years at Bridgewater Associates in various leadership roles.
“I am excited to join BusPatrol and build upon and evolve the company’s strong foundation of talent, innovation, and performance,” said Manahan. “It’s not often you get to be part of a company where technology and student safety come together in such a meaningful way. I’m proud to be leading a team of people who are all so dedicated to the same mission – making roads safer for students – and I can’t wait to help drive that forward.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome Manoj and Kate to our leadership team,” said Karoon Monfared, CEO of BusPatrol. “Manoj’s expertise in scaling market leading customer and safety focused platforms makes him the perfect addition to lead our next chapter of innovation. Similarly, Kate’s strategic thinking, passion, and creativity will help strengthen our people and continuous improvement culture. Our people are our greatest asset in delivering our safety mission, and Kate will be a terrific steward of the exciting and energizing environment we are creating for every BusPatroller. Together, they’ll play a key role in driving our mission forward and expanding our impact in public safety.”
Founded in 2017, BusPatrol partners with school districts and other agencies to modernize fleets with safety technology, including capturing stop-arm violations, internal cameras, and telematics data.
More Management

Photo Highlights: Inside the 2026 Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation Conference
Snapshots from the 2026 MAPT conference, where Michigan's school transportation professionals gathered for training, technology updates, awards, networking, and more.
Read More →
Zonar Launches Reimagined Bus Suite Web Portal
Can one platform replace your transportation software stack? Zonar says its new Bus Suite unifies routing, dispatch, field trips, GPS, and parent communication.
Read More →
Indiana Association Announces 2026 Award Winners
See who earned top honors at the 2026 School Transportation Association of Indiana conference, recognizing excellence in school transportation statewide.
Read More →
Student Transportation of America Acquires Massachusetts Contractor
Tremblay’s Bus Company and its 400-bus fleet joins the STA family of brands as the company grows its presence across the Northeast U.S.
Read More →
Michigan Association Announces 2026 Award Winners
See who earned top honors at the 2026 Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation conference, recognizing excellence in school transportation statewide.
Read More →Inside MAPT 2026: Michigan’s School Transportation Community Connects at Boyne Mountain
Check out highlights from the 2026 MAPT Summer Conference, where over 300 transportation pros gathered for training, networking, awards, and trade show.
Read More →
Summit School Services to Complete Fleetwide Samsara Technology Rollout
The company said outfitting its entire fleet with AI-powered safety and fleet management technology will strengthen student safety and operational efficiency across its local brands.
Read More →
Why the School Bus May Be America's Most Overlooked Icon
Every day, millions of students climb aboard. But few realize the yellow school bus has helped transform education, connect communities, and come to symbolize civic responsibility.
Read More →
Why More Drivers Won’t Fix the Shortage
Hiring isn’t enough. Learn how leading fleets are solving driver shortages through smarter retention, training, and culture strategies.
Read More →
SBFX Keynote Announced: Ann Vote to Share Tips on Leadership and Team Culture
Find out who will be providing this year's keynote at SBFX in Scottsdale this September and what else to expect. District and contractor bus operators are invited to apply and attend at no cost!
Read More →


