Deb Hubsmith announced she is not returning as executive director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, which she founded 10 years ago. She cited an ongoing battle with acute myeloid leukemia as the reason.
Deb HubsmithHubsmith, a partner with the school bus industry over the years, has been on medical leave since last fall to undergo treatment since being diagnosed. She received a bone marrow transplant in March and said doctors advised her to limit her work hours and reduce travel as she recovers.
“To honor and support both my own recovery and the future of the organization that I founded and love, I am stepping down as director,” she said in a statement today. “I am very happy that I received this second chance at life, and I look forward to continuing to be of service to children, communities and the environment as a board member and a consultant to the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.”
Hubsmith founded the SRTS National Partnership in 2005 to promote active, health lifestyles for schoolchildren via walking and bicycling projects, amid the formation of the federal program that year by Congress. The first federally sponsored SRTS programs began in 1997 in the Bronx, New York, and a year later Congress funded two pilot programs through the U.S. Department of Transportation.
SRTS programs now operate in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. With legislative extensions, the federal SRTS Program has apportioned nearly $1.15 billion to states as of Sept. 30, 2012. These funds stand to benefit close to 15,000 schools, said the National Center for Safe Routes to School, an associate of the organization Hubsmith founded.
Under her direction, the National Partnership evolved from an all-volunteer organization to a coalition of more than 700 partners, a $3 million annual budget and nearly 30 staff across the country. During her tenure, she and staff also worked with the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services to request 10 percent of federal SRTS funding go toward improving pedestrian access to school bus stops.
In March 2013, the National Partnership hosted a webinar to discuss how student walking programs can support yellow bus operations, and vice versa. Dave Cowan, program manager for the National Partnership, told STN at the time that even though school-bus transportation remains the safest way for students to get to and from school, budget cuts are a challenge for district’s transportation departments. With walking programs also being slashed from budgets, he said there are synergies for the two groups to work together to ensure students continue to have viable options for traveling safely to and from school. In addition, they both promote less traffic congestion around school campuses.
The National Partnership’s Board of Directors said it is forming a search committee to oversee the recruitment and selection of Hubsmith’s successor. Questions about the search or suggestions of potential candidates can be directed to Risa Wilkerson, board chair, at risa@saferoutespartnership.org.
“I have full confidence that the Safe Routes to School National Partnership will continue to thrive and make an important difference in increasing physical activity for children and inspiring healthy community design in communities, especially for those who are most in need,” Hubsmith concluded.
