The CTAA 2025 Community Transportation Awards Winners

Winners from across the United States and territories demonstrated outstanding contributions to their communities

Washington, D.C., June 9, 2025 – The Community Transportation Association of America [CTAA] is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2025 Community Transportation Awards. The awards ceremony was held at the 2025 CTAA EXPO and CalACT Spring Meeting in San Diego, California. These awards acknowledge and celebrate the winners’ commitment to serving their community and making significant contributions to their area.

“We extend our congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the 2025 Community Transportation Awards. This ceremony consistently stands out as a highlight of CTAA’s EXPO, providing a platform to honor the remarkable achievements of individuals and agencies who are at the forefront of our industry in a room full of their peers,” shared CTAA Membership Director Loreal Lance. “The awards committee was faced with a record number of exceptional applications and we’re and we are privileged to have a platform to recognize the dedication and exceptional work of these transit leaders.”

Frontline Heroes

Valerie Ross, representing SPORTRAN in Shreveport, won the Frontline Hero Award for her dedication to safety and bravery in the face of an emergency. After noticing smoke, she led her passengers to safety just before the bus exploded. The news story was shared during the awards ceremony and can be viewed here.

Rodney Transor, representing Southwest Human Resource Agency from Lexington, TN, also received the Frontline Hero Award. His quick decision-making after seeing smoke saved the lives of his 2 passengers, one in a wheelchair, after their vehicle caught fire.

This year, the Frontline Hero Award also went to two communities. Seventeen drivers from Pasadena Transit Dial-a-Ride answered the call during the Eaton fire, helping with evacuations of vulnerable community members. The news story shared during the awards ceremony can be viewed here.

CTAA recognized North Carolina community transportation agencies that supported their community after the devastating flooding and mudslides due to Hurricane Helene. The North Carolina Public Transportation Association accepted this award on behalf of its state. Transit plays an often overlooked role in emergency relief, and CTAA is honored to be able to highlight these communities for their exceptional work in the face of natural disasters.

Rising Star

Elizabeth Wheling, Operations Manager at Mountain Line in Missoula, Montana, won the Rising Star Award for being an emerging leader in community transportation whose record reflects ongoing and exceptional growth. This award shines a spotlight on a rising star in the industry who’s been making waves with their top-notch skills, leadership, and impact. The nomination highlighted her commitment to accessibility and effective communication, making her a highly valued and trusted resource within and outside the Operations department.

Outstanding Community Partner

The Outstanding Community Partner Award was given to Dave Kelis of St. Cloud Metro Bus in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Community Partners are necessary to the success of community transportation, and this award is an opportunity to recognize a business, organization, or person that has deeply enhanced its community’s mobility options and strives to innovate the delivery of its public transit services.

Ryan Daniel, CTAA Board member and CEO of St. Cloud Metro Bus, shared, “Dave Kleis has been a tireless advocate for public transportation, an unwavering leader in community engagement, and a dedicated champion for mobility solutions. Throughout his tenure as Mayor of St. Cloud (2005–2025) and as the Board Chair of St. Cloud Metro Bus for over a decade, Dave Kleis has been instrumental in advancing mobility initiatives that have directly benefited the community.”

State Leadership

The Michigan Department of Transportation won the State Leadership Award. This award recognizes a state leadership organization that provides creative, effective, and continuing training and technical assistance programs. The winner has shown how they use new concepts, strategies, procedures, and policies to best support local transit systems, and communicate local concerns and priorities at the state and federal level. And of course, they are fierce advocates for public and community transportation at the state and local level.

Small Transportation System of the Year

The coveted Small Transportation System of the Year Award went to two winners this year. First, the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority, Saipan MP shared in their nomination, “The Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority (COTA), based in the Northern Mariana Islands—one of the U.S. Pacific territories—has been committed to meeting the needs of its island community. After Category 5 Typhoons Yutu and Soudelor, COTA quickly restored transit services, helping residents access critical resources. Investing in long-term resilience, COTA has secured funding for typhoon-resistant bus shelters and transit infrastructure, recognizing that severe storms regularly disrupt island life. By addressing these geographic and environmental challenges with innovative, community-driven solutions, COTA strengthens the CNMI’s ability to stay connected, recover from disasters, and build a sustainable future.”

Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Ketchikan, Alaska, also won the 2025 Small Transportation System of the Year. Their nomination shared, “Nestled in the heart of Alaska’s Inside Passage, Ketchikan is a vibrant island community of about 14,000 year-round residents and a major hub for tourism. The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Transit Department plays a vital role in keeping both residents and visitors moving efficiently. In FY2024, they delivered 452,888 rides, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to the community. When two devastating landslides struck Ketchikan, straining local resources, the department acted immediately, offering free rides to ensure uninterrupted access to essential services. At the same time, they successfully brought paratransit services in-house for the first time, leading to a nearly 40% increase in ridership and improving accessibility for those who need it most.”

To be eligible for this award, small systems provide service in areas and places of a rural setting where the population is 50,000 and below, and/or the agency receives 5310 or 5311 funding. Systems eligible for this award fall under the typical CTAA membership demographics: NEMT, specialized transportation services, and rural and tribal transit systems.

Large Transportation System of the Year

The Large Transportation System of the Year Award went to both Santa Maria Regional Transit in California and SporTran of Shreveport, Louisiana. Large transit is defined as providing service in an urban area of more than 50,000 population and/or the agency receives 5307 funds. Typical CTAA membership demographics that would apply for this award include our small-urban and tribal transit members.

The Large Transportation System of the Year award recognizes transportation systems for innovative and creative services in their communities, being responsive to customer and community needs, coordinating and collaborating with other public and special services transportation, creating partnerships with a wide range of organizations, providing accessible transportation service, and building transportation alternatives that are intended to meet a wide range of the communities needs.

These awardees exemplify the spirit of community transportation, demonstrating that with passion, innovation, and determination, we can create transit systems that are equitable, sustainable, and transformative.