Photo Highlights: Inside the 2026 Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation Conference

Management•Photos 16•July 13, 2026

More than 500 school transportation professionals, exhibitors, and industry partners gathered June 29–July 2 at Boyne Mountain Resort for the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation's (MAPT) 61st Annual Conference. From inspiring keynotes and practical sessions to a fun trade show, awards, and plenty of networking, the 2026 MAPT conference offered something for every member of the transportation team. Here are our favorite moments.

Save the date for MAPT 2027 from June 21-24, 2027, at Shanty Creek in Bellaire, Michigan.

Topics:Michigan Trade Show conference training Management

Executive Director Katrina Morris speaks on stage at the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation conference, holding a microphone while addressing attendees. — Katrina Morris, who works for the West Shore ESD, has served as executive director for the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation since 2022. Here, she emcees the association’s annual conference and gave attendees a sneak peek at the newest national stop-arm passing PSA featuring Lomas Brown coming out later this summer.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

A yellow school bus is parked outside Boyne Mountain Resort near the Civic Center entrance, with string lights overhead and another school bus visible through the covered walkway in the background. — This year’s event was held from June 29 to July 2 at Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls, Michigan.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

Keynote speaker Nathanial "Coach" Hearne stands on stage addressing attendees during the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation conference at Boyne Mountain Resort. — Nathanial “Coach” Hearne presented a powerful keynote on Wednesday morning. Hearne served as the assistant football coach for a school in Texas — the one that went on to inspire the book, movie, and TV show, Friday Night Lights. Hearne shared his own personal story of growing up in poverty and how two adults changed his life forever: His science teacher and football coach made him feel seen and valued for the first time, inspiring him to follow in their footsteps. His message was that we never know the legacy we leave behind, and that bus drivers can be that same change for a child who may not have validation anywhere else.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

Child Behavior Consulting founder Lisa Navarra presents an educational session, speaking to attendees while standing beside a presentation screen and training materials. — Lisa Navarra from Child Behavior Consulting presented the Tuesday morning keynote on the power of praise and how praising a child’s effort (not intelligence) can lead to their own self-regulation and independence. A good formula to follow is connecting their action to an outcome, for example, stating something like “I noticed you kept your feet in front of you today. Thanks for keeping yourself safe and modeling good behavior for others.” But one word of caution: Avoid too many “I” statements; we want to encourage students build good habits without doing it just for external validation.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

A new Blue Bird school bus is lifted on a heavy-duty Rotary vehicle hoist during an outdoor maintenance equipment demonstration as attendees gather nearby. — Drivers were able to attend a day of the event for free, sitting in on Coach Hearne’s keynote followed by their own agenda. Technicians also had their own specialized sessions. According to Morris, there were about 500 school district attendees, from supervisors to drivers and techs, and 55 vendors in attendance.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

Michigan Department of Education transportation director Troy Hansbarger presents state transportation updates to a room filled with school transportation professionals. — Michigan’s state director, Troy Hansbarger from the Michigan Department of Education, updated attendees on state funding, inspections, forms, and systems.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

Jen Laidlaw presents to a packed room of conference attendees during an educational session, speaking from the front of the room while participants watch a presentation screen. — Jen Laidlaw of TeamWerks Talent Development and Consulting presented three different sessions throughout the conference. In “Why is Everyone So Mad?” she covered what makes emotions run high, how to handle angry co-workers, and practices to help de-escalate a situation and effectively handle conflict. Other sessions addressed the balance between empathy and accountability and how to give effective feedback. Stay tuned for a more comprehensive recap of her takeaways on these topics!
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

An Pro-Vision presenter leads a session on school bus video technology while attendees watch a presentation about camera systems and maintenance workflows. — Pro-Vision presented a session on making bus video work for you, covering cloud tools, trends and tactics to implement camera solutions that increase safety, reduce maintenance, and share footage with law enforcement and families.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

Bill Holcomb presents an interactive map showing electric school bus locations and charging stations across Michigan during a conference educational session. — Bill Holcomb from Pontiac Schools shared a special project he’s been working on with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. Once live, hopefully within a few months, it will be an interactive digital map of all the electric school bus chargers in the state. The goal is to make it easy for electric bus operators to be able to share their charging equipment to others who may be traveling through for athletic or field trips. He is currently gathering input and data from districts willing to participate.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

School transportation professionals participate in a panel discussion on alternative fuels while attendees listen to presentations about electric school bus charging infrastructure. — An alternative fuels session let attendees hear from their peers on how various schools evaluated and implemented propane and EV buses.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

Attendees play casino games and visit exhibitor booths during the MAPT trade show, which combines vendor networking with a casino-themed evening event. — The event’s trade show doubled as a casino night, a feature that Morris says set their event apart. To play, attendees must visit with vendors to earn their cash to spend. About 55 vendors and sponsors supported the trade show.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

BusRight team members pose in school bus-themed outfits during the conference trade show, including an inflatable school bus costume and a jacket decorated with buses. — Keith Corso and Abby Brookshire from BusRight sport their best school bus attire for the trade show.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

Attorney Vicki Coe presents a session on legal issues in special education transportation, speaking from the podium beside a projected presentation slide. — Vicki Coe, an attorney for Clark Hill specializing in special education, presented legal considerations and updates for transporting students with disabilities, including noting the importance of including parents and administration in the process, and addressing audience questions on service animals, doctor’s notes, custody issues, parent requests, IEPs, and discipline.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

Members of the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation Board of Directors pose together for a group photo during the 2026 annual conference at Boyne Mountain Resort. — The MAPT board of directors.
Credit:
Amanda Huggett

MAPT Executive Director Katrina Morris hugs Nashawn Craig as attendees mingle following the conclusion of the conference. — Morris closes out MAPT 2026 with a hug. Nashawn Craig, assistant director at Taylor Schools and photographer, is finally in front of the camera!
Credit:
Amanda Huggett