Five student transportation industry groups welcomed new faces to their organizations throughout October and early into November. They are:

• Catalyst Mobility Taps Mari Eva Mendes to Spearhead Philanthropy and Private Funding
• Netradyne Adds New Chief People and Chief Marketing Officers
• Wendy Winslow Joins School Bus Logistics
• Verra Mobility Appoints Jon Newhard as CEO
• Zonar Promotes Rob Consoli to CEO

Catalyst Mobility Taps Nonprofit Strategist to Spearhead Philanthropy and Private Funding

In October, Catalyst Mobility, formerly CALSTART, announced that it has appointed Mari Eva Mendes its head of philanthropy and private funding, effective August 17, 2026. Mendes will plan and build equitable and sustainable fundraising pipelines that meet the organization’s mission and strategic vision for the future.

Mendes has over 20 years of expertise across six countries in institutional giving, prospect development, donor stewardship, communications, and organizational capacity-building. She supported the growth of multi-million-dollar portfolios at advocacy and grassroots organizations, including Girls for Gender Equity, LEAP, Harlem United, and the National Resources Defense Council.  

“Catalyst Mobility has the ideas, talent, and momentum that funders are looking for,” said Catalyst Mobility President and CEO Michael Berube. “Mari Eva is passionate about helping organizations clearly communicate their work with confidence and purpose. She is excited about building on Catalyst Mobility’s momentum by identifying new funding opportunities and deepening relationships with institutional funders that help advance our mission of Building Clean Transportation Together.”  

“What I’ve learned is that, while fundraising is measured in dollars, it is really about people: building trust, connecting resources to big ideas, and creating partnerships that help solutions move further and faster,” Mendes said. 

Netradyne Adds New Chief People and Chief Marketing Officers

Netradyne, which provides driver dashcams and software, announced the appointments of Melissa Ribeiro as chief people officer and Brion O’Connor as chief marketing officer as the company expands its global footprint, advances its AI-powered platform, and scales to support growing demand.

“Melissa and Brion each bring proven experience scaling technology companies through periods of rapid growth,” said Avneesh Agrawal, CEO of Netradyne. “Melissa knows how to build a global organization and a culture that people want to be part of. Brion knows our market and how to build a brand that grows with the business. As we expand beyond traditional fleet safety into physical AI and build intelligence for the physical world, strengthening our brand and global organization is critical to our next stage of growth. Together, they bring the experience and leadership to help us realize that ambition.”

Ribeiro is a global people and transformation executive with more than 25 years of experience. Most recently, she served as global chief people officer at Encora. At Netradyne, she will focus on attracting and developing world-class talent, strengthening leadership capabilities, and building a culture that supports the company's continued global expansion.

O’Connor brings 20 years of experience building and scaling marketing organizations. He spent four years at Samsara and most recently as chief marketing officer at EvenUp. In this new role, O’Connor will focus on strengthening the company's positioning, elevating its brand, and accelerating growth across enterprise and mid-market fleets.

Wendy Winslow Joins School Bus Logistics

Wendy Winslow has joined School Bus Logistics as senior business development representative.

Winslow has more than 20 years of experience in sales and business development, including 19 years working in the pupil transportation industry. She previously worked in business development at Transfinder and as a loan officer and telemarketing team lead at Amtrust Mortgage.

She is based in New York and will work with districts nationwide to understand what their transportation departments are dealing with to help connect them with the SBL services that fit their needs, regardless of routing software used.

Verra Mobility Appoints Jon Newhard as Chief Executive Officer

Effective Nov. 1, 2026, Verra Mobility welcomed Jon Newhard as its new president and chief executive officer.

Newhard brings more than two decades of experience in the transportation and mobility industry, including his most recent position as CEO of Yunex Traffic GmbH. Previously, he served as CEO of Clinc, Inc.,; general manager of Cubic ITS; and CEO of Advanced Traffic Solutions Inc. He's also served as chairman of Miovision and on the board of Synapse ITS.

He holds a degree in economics and engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Newhard succeeds Jon Keyser, who has served as interim president and CEO since June 2026. Keyser will remain with the company in an advisory capacity to support a smooth transition before departing to pursue other opportunities.

"We are pleased to appoint Jon Newhard to help us lead Verra Mobility and chart the Company's next phase," said Patrick Byrne, chairman of the board. "Jon is a seasoned executive with deep industry knowledge, a customer-centric approach and a strong track record of improving financial performance. In addition, his experience growing and scaling established businesses through periods of transformation makes him the ideal leader for Verra Mobility at this pivotal moment for the Company. We look forward to partnering closely with Jon as we drive the business forward to meet the evolving smart mobility needs of the communities we serve and drive shareholder value."

Zonar Promotes Rob Consoli to CEO

Zonar's previous chief revenue officer Rob Consoli has been promoted to chief executive officer. According to Zonar, Consoli steps into the role as the company enters a new stage of customer-focused delivery, advancing its strategy of combining tailored fleet technology with flexible engagement models and accountable, high-touch service.

Consoli brings more than 30 years of experience leading enterprise technology businesses. His career includes executive roles at SAP, OpenText, Liaison Technologies, I.D. Systems, Skuid, and Assembly Software.

Since joining Zonar in January 2026, Consoli has focused on strengthening the company's go-to-market strategy, expanding channel partnerships, and aligning its commercial organization around customer success.

“The fleet technology industry has spent years trying to fit operators into a standard model — here’s the product, here’s the contract, make it work,” Consoli said. "That’s not how fleets operate. Some fleets need to be up and running in under a week with a turnkey solution, while others have complex reporting requirements and need custom dashboards and tailored work. We’re focused on making that happen with more than telematics; we’re offering a full range of services and solutions that let every fleet get what they need.”

Under Consoli’s leadership, Zonar will build on its 25-year legacy of innovation and leadership in fleet management and student transportation, expanding its portfolio of configurable solutions and value-added services to deliver greater flexibility, operational efficiency and long-term value to customers.