T
he natural beauty of Oregon could entice anyone looking for a change. The state has much to offer—from the large trees and plentiful outdoor activities to the bountiful
breweries and donut shops (the iconic Voodoo Dough- nuts original location is nearby in Old Town Portland). Craig Beaver was looking for such a change after spend- ing most of life in sunny Southern California. His dad was in the military, and the family moved
around a lot, but Beaver mostly grew up in San Diego. He attended college at the University of San Diego, graduating with a business degree. He was also an offensive lineman on the football team, which he noted instilled in him the qualities necessary to be a good teammate and to over- come challenges. After graduating in 1984, Beaver worked for trucking
company Roadway Express for 17 years. He held various positions including supervisor, industrial engineer and terminal manager. In 2001, he was faced with transfer- ring to the high desert near Victorville, California, but he, wife Tracey and daughter Stephanie weren’t interested in relocating. Instead, he started looking at other jobs available in the area, finding Grossmont High School District in east San Diego County.
“I started looking around and saw an ad [for a trans-
portation director],” he recalled, adding that the district had never previously hired anyone without prior school bus experience. “But I had a lot of trucking and heavy-duty vehicle experience, and it fit well.” He noted that he had to learn the intricacies of trans-
porting students, but because it’s a highly regulated industry and California has a strong driver training pro- gram, he picked up all the information he needed. Beaver also went on to receive his commercial driver’s li- cense—which he keeps current—so he could not only drive but also understand what his drivers go through daily. At the time, he said Grossmont had quite a smaller fleet than his current one in Beaverton, operating about 70 buses, employing 50 drivers, and transporting about 2,500 students. In addition to transporting students with special needs in compliance with federal law, district transportation consisted of many athletic and field trips. Beaver spent 15 years as the director of transportation in
Grossmont before retiring from the state of California. He and Tracey always wanted to move to the Pacific North- west, and this was the time to make it happen. Beaver saw a job was available at Beaverton School District near Portland, Oregon and the rest is history, as they say.
Craig Beaver (middle, in white) is flanked by his three operations supervisors and his shop supervisor, who he leans on for new ideas and when executing the department vision. At left: Rusty Bingham and Joel Feldhan. At right, Cliff Harrell and JD Russell.
30 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2024
PHOTO COURTESY OF BEAVERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
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