SBF 70 years logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Zum Appoints New CFO

As the student transportation company expands nationwide, it welcomes Daniel Berenbaum to provide financial leadership and JoAnn Covington as general counsel.

Zum Appoints New CFO

Berenbaum has held financial leadership roles for the past three decades and worked on Wall Street.

Photo: Zum/School Bus Fleet

2 min to read


Zūm announced the appointment of Daniel Berenbaum today as chief financial officer. 

About the New CFO

In this role, Berenbaum will partner with the CEO, COO, and executive team to provide critical financial leadership and craft and execute Zūm’s growth strategy as the company expands rapidly nationwide.

Ad Loading...

Berenbaum brings three decades of experience in financial management. He was previously chief financial officer at Bloom Energy, NI (National Instruments) and Everspin, and held finance leadership roles at Micron and GlobalFoundries. 

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Berenbaum started his professional career as an engineer in the semiconductor industry and spent a decade on Wall Street in analyst and research leadership roles.

“I’m excited to help meet today’s needs of schools and communities to modernize student transportation, and be part of the transformation of an industry that hasn’t changed for 80 years,” he said. “Everything that we do at Zūm enables and empowers communities: parents feel better about how their children are transported, school districts have more confidence in their ability to get students in seats, and communities are more sustainable and have more resilient energy services.”

“We’re pleased to welcome Dan to Zūm’s leadership team as we continue to evolve our business and expand rapidly across the U.S.,” added Ritu Narayan, founder and CEO at Zūm. “Dan’s invaluable perspective and experience, which includes financial leadership roles at several technology and clean energy companies, makes him an exceptional addition to our executive team and is in complete alignment with our mission to deliver safe, tech-enabled student transportation and improved grid resilience to communities nationwide.”

New General Counsel

Last week, Zum also appointed JoAnn Covington as the company's general counsel. 

Ad Loading...

Covington will work with the management team and board to provide strategic legal advice and set governance policies.

Covington previously was chief legal officer at Glydways, a sustainable public transportation system provider, and chief legal officer at Proterra, a manufacturer of battery-electric transit buses, battery systems and fleet charging infrastructure. She previously held leadership roles at technology companies Rocket Fuel Inc. and Electronic Arts (EA).

"I am excited to help Zum achieve its vision to provide safe, efficient, flexible school transportation," Covington said. "In this role, I can bring together my work revolutionizing and reimagining public transportation as general counsel to clean transportation companies, and my extensive experience working with cutting-edge software companies to deliver on Zum's promise for school districts, communities, drivers, children and families."

About Zum

Zūm serves more than 4,000 schools across 14 states nationwide with partnerships including Los Angeles Unified, San Francisco Unified, Oakland Unified, Seattle Public Schools, Boston Public Schools, Omaha Public Schools, and Kansas City Public Schools.

More Management

An orange and white graphic with HopSkipDrive's logo and text reading "Districts Adjusts to Persistent Driver Shortages."
Managementby Elora HaynesAugust 12, 2026

Have School Districts Adapted to Bus Driver Shortages or Simply Accepted Less Service?

According to a recent report from HopSkipDrive, many districts appear to have recalibrated what "normal" transportation service looks like.

Read More →
A blue and white graphic with text reading "The Ripple Effect of a Reliable Ride."
Managementby Elora HaynesAugust 12, 2026

Reliable Transportation Linked to Better Student Outcomes, New EverDriven Study Finds

See why new research suggests transportation consistency improves student outcomes while influencing attendance, funding, IEP compliance, and family trust.

Read More →
A close-up side view of a yellow Switzer-CARTY school bus parked in a bus yard, with the contractor's name displayed on the side panel and additional school buses visible in the background.
Managementby News/Media ReleaseAugust 7, 2026

Switzer-CARTY Enters the U.S. with New Acquisition

The Canadian contractor’s acquisition of Minnesota-based Agnes Corporation marks its first cross-border expansion into the United States and adds 350 vehicles.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Students wearing backpacks line up to board a yellow school bus, each holding an NFC-enabled student ID card to scan as they enter. The image illustrates student ridership tracking technology that records boarding activity in real time.
Managementby News/Media ReleaseAugust 6, 2026

BusRight Adds New Rider Tracking Technology

Safety Pass is an NFC-based student ridership tracking solution that provides real-time boarding and drop-off data to improve school bus safety and family communication.

Read More →
A red and white image of someone holding a cell phone with text reading "EverDriven Launches RideAware App With Student Ride Visibility."
Managementby Staff and News ReportsAugust 5, 2026

EverDriven Launches RideAware App With Real-Time Student Ride Visibility

The updated platform’s new features improve communication among caregivers, districts, and drivers while streamlining trip updates.

Read More →
Students boarding a school bus with text reading "New Riders, Strong Starts. Help every student feel confident on day one."
Managementby Elora HaynesAugust 5, 2026

How School Transportation Departments Can Help Acclimate New Riders to the Bus

Here's how transportation departments can turn first-day jitters into confidence for students and parents alike.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Multiple generations of the Kobussen family posing in front of a school bus.
ManagementAugust 3, 2026

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Nearly 90 Years of Safely Transporting Wisconsin Students

From one farmer's act of service to a fourth-generation family business, Kobussen Buses reflects on nearly 90 years of earning the trust of Wisconsin families.

Read More →
Graphic for School Bus Fleet's "Changing Lanes" July 2026 personnel roundup featuring headshots of six industry professionals: Jamie Smith (AMF Buns), Dan Strock (Pro-Vision), Kyndra Webb (HopSkipDrive Council), Jared Schnader (CALSTART), Alycia Gilde (CALSTART), and Micah Enterz (Kooner Fleet Management Solutions), displayed on an orange geometric background.
Managementby StaffJuly 31, 2026

Changing Lanes: AMF Bruns, Pro-Vision, CALSTART, HopSkipDrive, & Kooner

Check out who's been hired, promoted, and appointed to leadership positions at various school transportation industry suppliers and nonprofits.

Read More →
Promo graphic for the 18th National Congress on School Transportation, featuring a conference audience background and text reading “May 4–6, 2029, St. Louis, Missouri,” alongside the NCST logo.
Managementby Staff and News ReportsJuly 29, 2026

NCST Announces 18th Congress Event Dates, New Committees

The National Congress on School Transportation moves to St. Louis in May 2029, convening delegates and industry representatives to discuss new best practice recommendations. Now, the new committee chairs have been named.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Two school buses parked in front of the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum in Denver.
Managementby Amanda HuggettJuly 28, 2026

Key Moments from the 2026 NSTA Annual Meeting in the Mile High City

From federal policy updates and OEM presentations to speed networking and industry awards, see photos and highlights from the contractor association’s summer conference in Denver.

Read More →