The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) election is fast approaching. The candidates come from various backgrounds in student transportation and have been nominated based on their dedicated contributions to the industry.

The president-elect candidates are: Melody Coniglio, director of transportation for West Geauga Local Schools in Ohio and current NAPT Region 3 director; Karim Johnson, director of student transportation at Dorchester County School District Four in South Carolina; and Todd Silverthorn, supervisor of transportation services at Kettering City School District in Ohio.

Keith Kaup, director of transportation at Pearland Independent School District in Texas, is the current president elect and assumes the president role this fall, succeeding Teena Mitchell of South Carolina.

Coniglio started her career as a school bus driver in 1994 and since has served in various transportation leadership positions in Ohio districts. Johnson was named a STN Rising Superstar in 2020 and holds multiple state and NAPT certifications. Silverthorn is the current vice president and a recent past-president of the Ohio Association for Pupil Transportation. He has worked in student transportation for over 20 years.

Running unopposed for Region 1 director is Marc Medina, supervisor of transportation at Farmingdale School District in New York. Medina is the president of the New York Association for Pupil Transportation and has been in the industry for 15 years.

Dawnett Wright, director of transportation at Peninsula School District in Washington, is the sole candidate for Region 5 director. Also serving as the president of the Washington Association of Pupil Transportation, Wright has spent over three decades in the Pacific Northwest region, first as a school bus driver, then trainer and now director.

Maritza Valentin, national account manager at wheelchair securement provider AMF-Bruns of America, is running for re-election as affiliate member director. Valentin trains professionals to properly secure students with disabilities who ride in wheelchairs and advocates for American Disabilities Act compliance.

For the positions where only one candidate was nominated, NAPT stated that write-in candidates will be accepted during the voting period.

The NAPT election will run from 8 a.m. EST Tuesday, Sept. 30, through 5 p.m. EST Wednesday, Oct. 1. The elected members will be sworn in at NAPT ACTS Saturday, Nov. 1, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For more information on the candidates and their positions, go to www.napt.org/napt-candidates. Voter eligibility and voting details can be found at www.napt.org/napt-election-faq.

Related: NAPT Announces More Annual Award Winners for 2025
Related: Alex Robinson, Mentor for Student Transportation Professionals
Related: (STN Podcast E231) Come Together: Florida Hurricane Fallout, NAPT Conference Recap

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Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Farm Foundation hosted a Farm Foundation Forum to examine the agricultural platforms of the candidates for president of the United States. Held on September 9 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., the Forum was moderated by Kristina Peterson from the Wall Street Journal, with Kip Tom, co-lead of the Farmers and Ranchers for Trump Coalition, representing the Republican platform and Rod Snyder, former senior advisor for agriculture for EPA in the Biden-Harris Administration, representing the Democratic platform. 

The speakers touched on a variety of issues, including the farm bill, tax policy, environmental policy, nutrition, agricultural trade, farm labor and immigration, and biofuels. 

“In such a wonderful Farm Foundation-way, they engaged on some really difficult topics and different perspectives,” said Farm Foundation President and CEO Shari Rogge-Fidler, reflecting on the tenor of the conversation between the two speakers. While not official members of the campaigns, each speaker is closely connected with the campaigns but was careful to anchor their statements on past policies while clarifying where they thought each platform might go on policy in the future. 

The event marked Farm Foundation’s return to in-person Forums at the National Press Club since moving the Forums virtual at the start of the pandemic. It attracted 769 registrants from seven different countries, with 522 attending live either in person or via livestream.  

The two-hour discussion, including the audience question and answer session, was recorded and is archived on the Farm Foundation website.  

Farm Foundation plans to hold another Forum at the National Press Club in 2025 but will maintain its virtual strategy for the bulk of future Forums to preserve greater audience access and reach. Forums are free to watch or attend, due to the generous support from Farm Credit Council. 

The post Farm Foundation Forums Return to Washington D.C. to Discuss the Agricultural Platforms of the Candidates for President of the United States  appeared first on Farm Foundation.