THE (NON)GAMBLER Jon Kelley Title: Fleet Operations Manager Employer: Washoe County School District Location: Reno, Nevada
THE COACH Bobby Williams Title: Shop Foreman Employer: Dallas County Schools
About three years ago, Dallas County Schools’
North Dallas garage was in bad shape. Paul Jacobs, the senior fleet manager, sought a professional who could come in and fix some “big, big challenges,” including low morale. “Te shop was just a mess,” Jacobs said. Te following year at the Texas Association for
Jon Kelley (far right) said he couldn’t do his job without his Washoe County School District garage team, especially fleet maintenance coordinators (from left) Josh Roach, Edward Montes de Oca, Scott Lee and Michael Shaffer.
Jon Kelley doesn’t mind a game
of Blackjack every once in a while, but he’s no gambler, especially since his wife works for a leading slot machine manufacturer. Both she and Jon are prohibited from using any company machine at any casino. A native of Reno, Kelley doesn’t mind this a bit, and he also takes no risks with the 300 school buses and 300 white vehicles in the Washoe County fleet he supervises. Yet when it comes to innovations,
the Washoe fleet ranks up there with the best nationwide. An active mem- ber of the Rocky Mountain Fleet Manager’s Association and the new Reno-Tahoe Clean Cities Coalition, he is responsible for 32 mechanics and garage staff, and having a boss who was previously in the same role pushes Kelley to continue evolving and innovating. Tis is most obvious in his strong advocacy of alternative fuels, witnessed by the district’s use of B5 biodiesel for all diesel-pow- ered buses and the growing fleet of propane autogas that now numbers nearly 50 school buses. He also “works tirelessly to make
sure that our vehicles are always in peak safe operating condition,” said Assistant Transportation Director Todd Duncan, who promoted Kelly
several years ago to be his successor. Kelley started at Washoe 18 years ago as an entry-level technician and has “worked his way up,” according to Duncan, to skilled journeyman technician, maintenance supervisor and now his current management position.
Allison Graber, a classroom in-
structor trainer at WCSD, said Kel- ley always goes “above and beyond” to ensure school bus safety. “He constantly is looking for ways
to save the district money. He does the research, submits his ideas and then helps implement the changes,” she said. “Whenever I need for his staff to be trained he is always mak- ing sure they attend. I feel better and safer knowing that if there is ever a problem with our fleet, Jon is on the job to make sure it is done quickly and correctly.” Kelley said “wrenching” will always be in his blood. He learned basic maintenance at home with his father and to this day enjoys time spent in the garage working on school buses and the other Washoe vehicles. “Tat’s where my true love lies,”
he said.
Pupil Transportation State Conference, Jacobs ap- proached Bobby Williams to talk about a solution. At the time, the fleet manager for Spring ISD north of Houston, then Director of Transportation Brian Weisinger, was retiring, and Williams, always one to look for new challenges, was exploring his options. “He was game-on,” Jacobs said. Williams came aboard, and in two short years,
the North Dallas garage has gone from DCS’ worst service center to the best. Additionally, Jacobs pointed out that under
Williams the low-performing technicians left under their own volition, with the others to grow buying into the new system. “We gave them an avenue to learn, to train
and how to become a better technician, not only personally but monetarily,” Jacobs said. “If they get a certification and have perfect attendance and the right attitude, we can move them to the next pay level, and we ‘ve done that.” Williams, who has 22 years of experience in the
industry, oversees 240 of DCS’ total fleet of more than 2,000 school buses that are maintained for 14 local school districts. He recently concluded a two-year term as
president of the Texas Association for School Bus Technicians, for which he made training a priority. He also assists in coordinating the Texas Best School Bus Technicians and America’s Best skills and train- ing competitions. “He is positive and outgoing and will stop at nothing to get the job done,” Weisinger said. “Bob- by is truly a garage star, and a role model for all school bus technicians and fleet managers.” Williams pointed to Weisinger as one of the
professionals who has had a profound impact on his life, another the late Brandon Billingsley of Heavy Duty Bus Parts. He said both men encouraged him to become a leader and to embrace the power of training and ensuring that safety is priority No. 1. “We are going to make sure the buses that roll
out are the safest they can be,” he added. “Our saying over her is, if it’s not safe it’s not rolling.”
36 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2016
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