Q&A with NAPT President


Keith Henry


As he heads into the last year of his term as president, we sat down with Keith Henry to discuss his background, the stability of the NAPT Board, global outreach and the pervasive school bus driver shortage.


S Keith Henry


chool Transportation News:Many people might not know that you served in the U.S. Coast Guard as an aviation electrician. How did that experience prepare you for the world of student transportation?


Keith Henry: I was proud to serve our country as a mem- ber of the Coast Guard; I was stationed in St. Louis, Chicago, San Diego, Jacksonville and several ports in the Caribbean. My time in the military is when I developed the organi-


zational, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are essential in school transportation. In addition, my various and different assignments enabled me to interact with people from all walks of life and become a better listener.


STN:You assumed the NAPT presidency two years ago as the association was dealing with the sudden passing of Don Carnahan. As his successor, what did you learn most from him? How is your term different from his? Henry: Don’s death was unexpected, shocking even, and


it made us all sad, but it happened in what I think has been among the most stable times in our history. Remember, Don was preceded by some great NAPT president’s – Bill Tousley, Dr. Linda Bluth and Alexandra Robinson – who have long been actively involved in the association, served on the board for several years and remained actively involved in the association after their terms as president ended. We have had great leadership over the years but, in my opinion, that run of Bill, Linda, Alex and Don was probably as good as any we’ve ever had. It created great stability. I’ve simply tried to keep that going. Te president’s job is to lead the board in constructive,


intelligent, forward-thinking conversations in collaboration with our executive director (Mike Martin) to develop a con- crete plan of action and then empower and support our staff – which is great, by the way – to implement our goals and strategies. It’s what Bill did, Linda did. It’s what Alex did. It’s what Don did. Now it’s what I am doing. And I’m sure it’s what Barry Sudduth will do when he’s president, too.


STN:A major NAPT initiative has been increased global


outreach to advise other countries on school transportation operations. Can you share details on these endeavors? Henry: After an enlightening conversation some time ago, the NAPT board decided that whether you call it


16 THE SHOW REPORTER • NOVEMBER 4–8, 2016


school transportation or pupil transportation or student transportation, geography is a subordinate distinction. First, it’s about the kids, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender and even, to an extent, age. Second, it’s about the service. Safe, effective and efficient pupil transportation service is desirable everywhere. Te outcome of that conversation begged the question:


“Does the word “national” in National Association for Pupil Transportation really mean “United States?” Te answer, we decided, is “no.” We’ve had international members for many years, and they helped us long ago understand that the way we do things here in the U.S. isn’t the only way to do things, much less the “right” way to do them. Tese two discussions shifted our paradigm as policy-mak-


ers for the association. We began to have more meaningful conversations with our international members and learned more about what they expect and want from us. NAPT members in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region view the association as the industry leader, with the expertise and ability to help them improve school transpor- tation in their countries. So we will do there many of the things we do here.


STN:NAPT attended the 2nd School Transportation


Conference & Exhibition in the United Arab Emirates in April. How was that experience, and what did NAPT share with attendees? Henry:We went to Dubai, which is one of the sev- en United Arab Emirates, to participate in the 2016 UITP-MENA Conference & Exhibition. UITP is much like NAPT but for policy-makers and operators in the urban mobility sector. It is a nonprofit association of public transport stakeholders in urban bus, light rail, regional and suburban rail and metro system (subways and elevated rail) market space. We put together the first-ever school trans- portation track for their conference program and explained how we approach school transportation in urban areas here in the U.S. It went really well. In fact, we’re going to collab- orate with them again next year.


STN:NAPT recently conducted a back-to-school survey


on school bus driver recruiting. In your opinion, how is the industry best positioned to combat the bus driver shortage? Henry: If there were a simple answer to this problem,


or one dimension to it, it wouldn’t be such a longstanding topic of discussion. I’ve talked to school transportation professionals here in the U.S. and abroad who never have enough drivers. Being a school bus driver takes a level of dedication and


skill at interpersonal relations not required in most other commercial driving situations. It’s neither a job everyone would want, nor is it a job everyone should have. Tat conun- drum is one of the reasons we’ve had a shortage of school bus drivers for so long. Te current shortage of school bus drivers has been a topic


of serious discussion among the board for several months. John Hazelette, NAPT’s Region 2 director, has a particular interest in this topic so I’ve appointed him to lead a task force that will embark on a collaborative effort intended to help everyone better understand the issues. Te first step is to get feedback from as many people as possible.


STN: Tank you and congratulations. l


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24