✪ Fernando Magana Maintenance Supervisor Durham School Services at the Aurora, Illinois Service Center Fleet Maintained: 135 school buses Total Shop Staff: 5 technicians, 1 mechanic apprentice


Most challenging maintenance problem to date?


“Fixing emission problems on systems with DEF and following troubleshooting guides to correctly diagnose issues in order to get those systems repaired.”


Fernando Magana comes from a family with a back-


ground in maintenance, as his father owned a repair business. The son started his career in pupil transportation while working for Richlee Vans in 2010. Two years later, he started working for Durham School Services, a part of National Express and has been there ever since. “Since the start of my career, I have challenged myself


to do my best every day,” he said. “As a result of that, I’ve been able to elevate myself and my career through new opportunities. I have grown into my current position as a shop supervisor due to my experience, perseverance, focus, and hard work.” Currently, he is working on integrating a lean pro- gram, a methodology that aims to create value for the customer by optimizing all resources and staff members to ensure continuous improvement, into his operations. Keshav Ragunathan, the senior director of asset and engineering for National Express, said in his nomination that Magana is a dedicated, supportive and knowledge- able garage lead. “Fernando was a general manager


✪ Cole Moody Bus Shop Technician


Greenville County Schools in South Carolina


Fleet Maintained: 150 school buses & 20 district vehicles Total Shop Staff: 2 Technicians


Most challenging maintenance problem to date? “I


once worked on a bus for two weeks diagnosing a com- plex wiring issue.”


When he is not helping others that can’t afford to fix


their own vehicle’s mechanical problems or helping to maintain church vans, Cole Moody likes electronics and software. He spends his free time doing 3-D modeling and C/C++ robotics programming. But he also makes time to relax by kayaking and hiking. Moody was recruited by the South Carolina Depart-


36 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2022


overseeing multiple John Deere dealership branches in Mexico,” Ragunathan said. “Upon migrating to the U.S., he took up maintenance as his primary profession and during the nine-plus years at Durham he has gained the respect of colleagues, employees and the customer.” Ragunathan added that Magana is often trusted to help with pilot projects, as his location is close to the corporate office. “His welcoming demeanor, thoughtful discussion and ideas always help us accomplish project goals prior to us tweaking and expanding them else- where in the business,” he said. “The vendor partners that have engaged with him always remember to ask how he and his shop are doing. This is a great testament to his work ethic and without a doubt is a shining exam- ple for us and the industry. A dedicated husband, father and an employee; he is a star.” Outside of work, Magana enjoys going on walks and runs with his wife. Together they visit new restaurants. Magana also enjoys learning about the latest automotive technologies.


ment of Education from Greenville Technical College while completing his diesel technology course nine years ago. He earned his certification as a diesel techni- cian, and his associate degree in applied science. He was employed with the state for seven years before taking a position with Greenville County School District. “My favorite part of the job is having the satisfaction


of knowing our children that ride these buses are 100 percent safe, and I play a big role in that,” he said, adding that he worked this summer on inspections, repairing smaller items and servicing the A/C systems. “He also has a very helpful personality,” said Teena


Mitchell, the special needs transportation coordinator for the district. “He is always first to volunteer. It was not surprising that as a young technician in 2016, when 200 of our buses were called on by the state to evacuate our coast prior to Hurricane Matthew coming ashore, Cole volunteered to go with us to the coast to service the buses, should they require maintenance during the trip.


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