On a hotly contested U.S. presidential election day, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) announced that four members will vie for director of Region 4.
The position serves NAPT members who live and work in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas. The election will be held Nov. 17 online. NAPT said all eligible voters in those states will receive a personalized link via email.
Derrick Agate, Sr., supervisor of transportation for Hopkins Public Schools in Minnesota and a former president of the Minnesota Association for Pupil Transportation, was nominated by three associates in the state: Lance Libengood, president of the Center for Effective School Operations in Minneapolis; Troy Schreifels, director of facilities, transportation and risk management for the Osseo Area Schools; and Tom Burr, transportation Director for Saint Paul Public Schools.
Also running is Sandy Dillman, an operations manager for the TransPar Group. She was the former director of transportation for Apple Valley Unified School District in Southern California before retiring and moving to Texas last year. Dillman was nominated by Cody Cox, director of transportation and maintenance for Community ISD near Dallas; Patricia Almaraz, assistant director of transportation for Goose Creek ISD north of Houston; and Lloyd Givens, fleet maintenance manager for the Special School District of St. Louis County in Missouri.
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Keith Kaup, a recent past-president of the Texas Association for Pupil Transportation and the director of transportation for Pearland ISD, was nominated by Kayne Smith, the current TAPT president and director of transportation for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD near Houston. Willie Tarleton, a former NAPT Region 2 director and the director of transportation for Midland ISD also nominated Kaup as did Keith Henry, a past president of NAPT, current executive director of the Missouri Association for Pupil Transportation, and the director of transportation for Lee’s Summit R-7 School District.
Rounding out the race is Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, the executive director of enrollment and support services for Broken Arrow Public Schools near Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was nominated by Jonathan Shelden, director of Transportation for Springfield Public Schools in Missouri, and Tammy Kifer, customer service supervisor for the Tulsa Public Schools transportation department.
NAPT also announced that current Region 2 director Teena Mitchell will serve another three-year term because she is running unopposed. The special needs transportation coordinator for Greenville County Schools in South Carolina was nominated by Melanie McDonald and Cathy Poole, who are both area special needs transportation supervisors for the district.
