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SEARCHMembers convene in Tulsa, Okla., this week for the association’s 49th Annual Meeting and Convention, and they are honored during an awards ceremony in such areas as environmentally friendly efforts, and safe and longtime service.
TULSA, Okla. — School bus contracting professionals convened here this week for the National School Transportation Association’s (NSTA) 49th Annual Meeting and Convention, and on Tuesday, they were recognized during the association’s awards ceremony.
The banquet included honors for such areas as environmentally friendly efforts and excellence in service and safety.
Here is the full list of award winners:
Golden Merit
Kitty Anderson — Durham School Services, Overland Park, Kan.
Gail Bergstrom — Durham School Services, Racine, Wis.
Frank Luciano — First Student Inc., Boonton, N.J.
Susan Moorehead — First Student Inc., Industry, Calif.
Dale Duley — GO Riteway Transportation Group, Brown Deer, Wis.
Greg Stock — Stock Transportation Ltd., Barrie, Ontario
Thomas Built Buses Continuing Education and Professional Growth Grant
Dave Hietpas — Kobussen Buses Ltd., Kimberly, Wis.
Meritorious Service
Gabe Rozsa — Prime Policy Group, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Driver of the Year
Ford Thompson — First Student Inc., Minnetonka, Minn.
Theo Hurkes — GO Riteway Transportation Group, Milwaukee
American School Bus Council Champion
Dale Krapf — Krapf Bus Companies, Philadelphia
Green School Bus Fleet Certification
Platinum: Durham School Services — Aurora, Ill.; Bridge Creek, Okla.; Burnsville, Minn.; Central Dauphin, Pa.; Framingham, Mass.; Lakewood, N.J.; Louisburg, Kan.; Milwaukee; Norwalk, Conn.; San Bernardino, Calif.
(New for 2013, the platinum level recognizes achievements in the highest level of fleet reduction in particulate matter.)
Gold: GO Riteway Transportation Group — nationwide; and Durham School Services — Jacksonville, Fla.; Memphis, Tenn.
Go Yellow, Go Green
GO Riteway Transportation Group — Germantown, Wis.
Distinguished Service
Todd Monteferrario — First Student Inc., Cincinnati
Hall of Fame
Magda Dimmendaal — Dousman Transport Co. Inc., Oconomowoc, Wis.
(Also during the convention, Dimmendaal ended her term as president of NSTA, handing over the reins to Timothy Flood of The Trans Group LLC. See story here for more details.)
SCHOOL BUS FLEET's Contractor of the Year
David Duke — National Express Corp., Warrenville, Ill. (see story here for more details)
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Kramlick, 30, runs operations for TransPar in Hawaii, where he also showed dedication while helping Maui recover from the recent wildfires.
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Moore, 32, grew up around the school bus, leading him to the classroom and eventually inspiring high-performing teams while bringing operations in house (twice).
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Baran, 38, serves as transportation supervisor at Odyssey Charter School in Delaware, where he leads daily operations with a focus on safety and professional growth.
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Maybee, 36, leads transportation operations for Denver Public Schools, where he is advancing equity, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration to improve student access.
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Higgins, 38, serves as director of industry engagement at TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking), where she equips school transportation professionals with the tools to recognize and report human trafficking.
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