This year’s STN EXPO West keynote speaker plans to provide attendees the tools they need to cut through the noise and express their relevance in a way that stands out in the crowd.
National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame member Bruce Turkel takes the stage in Reno, Nevada this summer at the STN EXPO West conference for student transportation professionals.
Turkel will first address transportation leaders at the Transportation Director Summit, an exclusive training at The Chateau at Incline Village at Lake Tahoe. The directors attending the exclusive training and networking leadership summit will gain insights from Turkel that they can use to instill trust throughout their organizations and how the values of honesty and integrity impact operations.
Clear Communication
Turkel’s July 13 keynote presentation “All About Them: The Power of Relentless Relevance” will bring a message to all conference attendees on how to position oneself in today’s society of instant informational access. In his high-energy presentation, Turkel plans to show attendees that just credentials may not be enough, but that connecting with stakeholders means showing them what you can do for them. Whether its customers or team members, this keynote will give attendees practical strategies to communicate clearly, relevantly and bring positive results.
Turkel’s unique musical talent will also be featured in an interactive exercise in the power of shared experience as attendees learn in minutes to play a song together. This unforgettable presentation will have attendees not only connecting through laughter but have a renewed confidence to update their communication style with necessary clarity and have a customer-centered framework that boosts success for their operations.
Turkel has been in the brand clarity field for over 30 years, running his own global branding firm. His specialty has been how to stand out in a competitive market, having worked with brands like American Express, Nike, Discovery and HBO. He wrote seven books, appeared on national tv news channels and in major publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Save $100 on main conference registration with Early Bird Savings when you act by June 5. The STN EXPO West conference will be held July 9-15 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada. Updates to agenda and speaker lists can be found at stnexpo.com/west.
CONCORD, N.C. — Jim Knight started his keynote address at STN EXPO East like a concert, highlighting that culture isn’t something you talk about. It’s something people feel. And attendees felt that energy as they walked into the room and heard the music playing over the speakers.
His message Monday was clear: If you want a culture that rocks, you have to create experiences people won’t forget. A feeling of culture starts with moments.
Knight, the former head of global training and development for Hard Rock International’s hotels, casinos, dining and entertainment, quickly moved past traditional definitions of culture. Instead, he grounded the concept in something far more tangible: human behavior.
“Fantastic, awesome, world-beating cultures—they only exist because of human behaviors,” he said.
To illustrate, he shared a story about witnessing a fast-food employee near Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida, interact with a young girl dressed as a princess. Rather than simply take her order, the employee bowed and declared, “All hail the princess,” prompting the entire staff to follow suit.
The moment lasted seconds but its impact, Knight said, is probably something the girl’s family still talks about. “That’s culture,” he said, adding that culture is not heritage, legacy or the past. “Culture is what’s happening right now.”
The ride to and from school may be routine. The interaction is not. “The student experience has to rock,” he continued. “And that starts with the relationship. How the driver made me feel, that’s what matters.”
At its core, he defined culture simply as “a collection of people,” each bringing their own behaviors into the organization. That definition carries weight in an industry facing persistent driver shortages and turnover.
Side Bar: Jim Knights’ 10 Takeaways
1. Fantastic cultures only exist because of human behaviors
2. Celebrate heritage (past), but focus on the present (people)
3. Be Like U2 – Everyone signing off the same sheet of music
4. To avoid four-letter words, don’t provide/endorse mediocrity
5. People crave differentiation – deliver personalized experiences
6. In a world of darkness, be a bright light in each student’s day
7. Treat each person special – Like it’s your first day of work
a. Create generational fans (you have the parents & the kids on your bus)
9. The true path to cultural Nirvana’s through 3C rock stars – YOU ARE THE AMPLIFIER
10. Change your mindset from transportation to creating experiences
BONUS: Position the Job to be Tattoo-Worthy
“Every time somebody joins or leaves [an organization], culture changes,” Knight said, adding that the student transportation industry faces a retention challenge. “If you could hold on to the right people, you’d have exactly what you want.”
Knight used a simple exercise. He asked attendees to close their eyes and point in the direction of true north, to demonstrate how easily organizations drift without alignment. “If everybody’s guessing, you get confusion,” he said. “If everybody’s aligned, you get productivity.”
He compared it to a band, using U2 as an example. While Bono and The Edge may draw the spotlight as lead singer and lead guitarist, respectively, the rhythm section of drummer Adam Clayton and bassist Larry Mullins, Jr., keep the band on the same page.
“Everybody has a role to play,” Knight said. “But you’ve got to be singing off the same sheet of music.”
In transportation, that means consistent communication from leaders to the school bus drivers. Everyone needs to be in tune about expectations, priorities and purpose.
“If you don’t share it, people will make it up,” he added.
One of Knight’s most pointed observations centered on what he called “acceptable mediocrity,” and four-letter words that he hates. Words like “fine,” “good” and “okay” may sound harmless, but he argued they signal something deeper.
“They scream mediocrity,” he said, adding that over time, organizations begin to accept these outcomes as success.
Differentiation Happens One Interaction at a Time
Knight emphasized that creating a standout culture doesn’t require sweeping changes. It starts with small, intentional actions.
“Read the person. Seize the moment. Personalize the experience,” he said, recalling his time at Hard Rock, where he made it a point to engage each guest in a unique way—whether through humor, conversation or simple recognition.
“You do that, you create loyalty,” he said. “You create stories.”
The same principle applies to student transportation. “People crave differentiation,” Knight said. “Deliver personalized experiences, and you build comfort, safety and trust.”
He played a video each Chick-Fil-A location shows to all new employees. The video highlights different people eating at the chain fast-fodd restaurant, with captions about what’s each person has going on in their lives. Everyone is dealing or navigating something. Every life has a story if we bother to read it, he said.
As a result, Chick-Fil-A immediately communicates the culture of caring they want from their employees.
“In a world of darkness, be a bright light in each student’s day,” Knight continued.
For many students, the bus ride is more than transportation. It’s a transition point, and sometimes the first interaction students have of the day. It puts drivers in a uniquely influential position.
Jim Ellis, director of transportation at Henrico County Public Schools in Virginia, noted that culture and the driver shortage tie hand and hand. “If you don’t want to be here, then I really don’t want you,” he said, underscoring the importance of cultural fit in a role that involves transporting children. He pointed to the driver shortage as a complicating factor, making it harder to be selective, but stressed that long-term success depends on building a team committed to more than just driving.
“You’ve got to be the one that fits that culture… making sure that you are that first thing they see.”
Britton Overton, director of transportation for Pender County School District in North Carolina, added that staffing challenges also impact morale, which in turn shapes culture. “It definitely affects culture, but also morale—and morale helps to build that culture or tear it down,” he said, noting that supporting drivers and maintaining positivity are critical to sustaining both.
Knight also challenged attendees to reflect on their own mindset. Think back to the first day on the job, he said, a time when employees arrived early, paid attention and took pride in every detail.
“Somewhere along the way, we lose that,” he said, adding that employees start cutting corners by focusing on their own gain the longer they stay in an organization.
Reclaiming that “day one attitude” is essential to sustaining culture over time, he commented.
Tisha Hergert, transportation director for Onsted Community Schools in Michigan, said Knight was very enthusiastic. “Everything that he mentioned to us, it was so easy to break down and will be very easy to implement. When I go back to my district, I feel like I can fire my crew up.”
Ultimately, Knight reinforced that culture is amplified, or diminished, by the people delivering the experience. He outlined what he called the “three C’s” of high-performing teams: Competence, Character and Culture fit.
“The true path to cultural nirvana is through 3C rock stars,” he said, adding that in student transportation, those rock stars are the drivers.
Beth Allison, safety and training instructor for Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia, poses with Jim Knight after his keynote at STN EXPO East March 30, 2026.
Knight closed with a mindset shift that tied the session together. “Stop thinking about transportation,” he said. “Start thinking about creating experiences.”
Because while routes, schedules and safety protocols are essential, they are only part of the equation. What students and families remember and what defines culture, is the human interaction.
“Don’t just think about this stuff,” Knight said in his final remarks. “Act on it.”
Overton told School Transportation News that Knight’s keynote was “very inspirational.” He noted that culture has become “a big word in discussion nowadays,” adding that Knight offered practical takeaways that he plans to implement back home. “
“[Knight] gave me some good insight and broadened my thinking of how I can make our transportation better in our district,” Overton added, emphasizing that sessions like the Monday keynote are about learning what works and adapting it locally.
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