MARIETTA, Ga. — Kimberly Ellis will take the reins as director of transportation at Marietta City Schools next month.

In the district’s top transportation post, Ellis, currently assistant director of transportation, will replace Mark Lindstrom, who has taken a position with the TransPar Group in Honolulu.

Marietta City Schools covers 25 square miles in the north Atlanta metropolitan area. The district’s transportation department serves nearly 9,000 students with 105 buses and about 100 staff members.

Ellis will be the fourth director of transportation for Marietta City Schools. She also represents the metropolitan Atlanta region on the board of directors for the Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation.

Ellis said that she looks forward to continuing to work with the students and the transportation team at Marietta.

One of the transportation initiatives that Ellis will continue is a safe rider program that was started by Cobb County (Ga.) School District for maintaining discipline. The program has reportedly helped reduce Marietta’s number of referrals to less than 1% of the student body.

Marietta also conducts the SOAR (Safe, Orderly, and Respectful) training program that originated at Forsyth County (Ga.) Schools, as SBF reported recently.

Lindstrom, a former Navy diving officer, high school teacher, and coach, began his school transportation career as a director in 2000. He came to Marietta City Schools as director of transportation in 2011.