Discover the new STN Transportation Director of the Year featured on our November issue cover. Other headlines include a NHTSA investigation after a driverless Waymo car illegally passed a stopped school bus and NTSB recommendations on seatbelts following a Texas school bus crash.

Frank Girardot, senior communications director for RIDE, discusses the electric school bus manufacturer’s School Bus Safety Week efforts.

Jennifer Gardella, director of transportation for Rockwall Independent School District in Texas and a 2025 STN Rising Star, discusses her childcare background, improving student relationships, training staff and receiving inspiration from fellow student transporters.

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Images courtesy of Jennifer Gardella. 

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The post (STN Podcast E281) Catalyst for Change: Electric School Bus Safety, Inspired Texas Rising Star appeared first on School Transportation News.

Alexandra Robinson, a well-known figure across the global student transportation industry, will be recognized for her contributions with an induction into the National Pupil Transportation Association (NAPT) Hall of Fame this fall.

Robinson has spent over 30 years in student transportation, which includes serving as the executive director of the Office of Pupil Transportation at the New York City Department of Education, and before that director of transportation at San Diego Unified Schools in California and a transportation coordinator for exceptional student education at the Florida Department of Education. She was also NAPT president from 2011-2014.

Currently, she is president of A. Robinson Consulting that provides services to school districts and vendors as well as expert witness work on legal cases. She also co-found and manages the industry organization Women in Transportation (wit.). She is known by the School Transportation News community as part of the STN Editorial Advisory Board and the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) tenured faculty. Robinson is also a frequent speaker at the STN EXPO and TSD conferences, sharing her leadership and operational expertise with conference attendees.

“Alex’s induction celebrates not only her extraordinary achievements but also her unwavering commitment to advancing the student transportation profession and the people who make it possible,” NAPT said in a statement Monday.

The release noted that Hall of Fame induction requires nominated individuals to “meet the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, including distinguished service to both the industry and the Association.” NAPT said Robinson was chosen from the nominations based on her personal contributions, eminence, influence, and permanence.

Robinson will be officially inducted at NAPT ACTS on Saturday, Nov. 1 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Related: NAPT Announces More Annual Award Winners for 2025
Related: NAPT Hall of Famer Donn Remembered for ‘Crucial Role’ Played in Industry
Related: Esteemed Figures in School Transportation Awarded NAPT’s Highest Honor
Related: Student Transportation Officials Inducted into NAPT Hall of Fame
Related: Leading with Purpose: Insights from STN EXPO West’s Transportation Supervisor Seminar
Related: Setting Realistic Expectations for School Bus Drivers of Students with Special Needs
Related: No Step Too High As Women Climb School Transportation Industry Ladder

The post Robinson Named Sole 2025 Inductee into NAPT Hall of Fame appeared first on School Transportation News.