The CTAA 2024 Community Transportation Awards Honor Exemplary Leaders

See all the winners of the Frontline Hero, Rising Star, Outstanding Community Partner, State Leadership, Small System of the Year, and Large System of the Year!

Washington, D.C., June 14, 2024 – The Community Transportation Association of America [CTAA] is proud to announce the distinguished recipients of the 2024 Community Transportation Awards, celebrated at the annual CTAA EXPO held this year in West Palm Beach, Florida.

These awards recognize the unwavering dedication, innovative approaches, and outstanding service of individuals and organizations that have significantly contributed to their communities. “These awards give CTAA a platform to highlight the significant contributions made by individuals, agencies, systems, and partners in the community transportation industry nationwide,” shared CTAA Executive Director Scott Bogren. “This year the awards team was faced with many tough decisions due to the exceptional applications and nominations we received. It’s an honor to be able to showcase the hard work of all of the nominees.”

Antonio Joseph, representing Palm Tran in West Palm Beach, Florida, won the Frontline Hero Award. The Frontline Hero Award is given out to an individual who goes that extra mile time and time again, encapsulating the spirit and professionalism of the workplace and the community transportation industry. The winner of this award will exude the spirit and professionalism of community transportation at its best.

Kristy Grestini, Mobility Manager at Battle Creek Transit in Michigan 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 who’s been making waves with their top-notch skills, leadership, and impact. In addition to the award, Kristy received a spot in the 2025 CTAA Leadership Academy – Cohort 7, a weeklong intensive for rising leaders in community transportation taking place in Washington D.C. in March 2025.

The Outstanding Community Partner Award was given to Mayor Chelsea Reed of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This award recognizes 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. The recipient of this award will have demonstrated an extensive history of community engagement and created long-standing partnerships with other stakeholders that allow residents to flourish.

Missouri Public Transit Association 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 will demonstrate that 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.

The coveted Small Transportation System of the Year Award went to North Central Regional Transit District of New Mexico. Small systems eligible for this award 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. Typical CTAA membership demographics that would apply for this award include NEMT, specialized transportation services, and rural and tribal transit systems.

This award recognizes a small community transportation system for innovative and creative services in the community, 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.

The Large Transportation System of the Year Award went to Transit Services Of Frederick County Maryland. Large 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. This award recognizes a transportation system for innovative and creative services in the community, 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. CTAA congratulates all the winners and looks forward to their continued contributions to their communities and the public transportation industry.

Nominees list, winner indicated with an asterisk:

Frontline Hero Nominees:

• Deb Piche, Transportation Program Manager-Dispatcher of C.I.D.E.R., the Champlain Islanders Developing Essential Resources, serving Grand Isle County, Vermont.
• *Antonio Joseph, Bus Operator at Palm Tran serving Palm Beach County, Florida.
• Marsha Solomon, Bus Operator at Palm Tran serving Palm Beach County, Florida.
• Jimmy Weatherspoon, Bus Operator at Palm Tran Connection (Paratransit) serving Palm Beach County, Florida.

Rising Star Nominees:

• *Kristy Grestini, Mobility Manager at Battle Creek Transit serving the City of Battle Creek, Michigan
• Stewart Barnett, former driver and current mechanic for Vincennes YMCA VanGo serving Vincennes, Indiana

Outstanding Community Partner Nominees:

• Giles Health And Family Center, serving Giles County, Virginia
• *Mayor Chelsea Reed, serving Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

State Leadership Nominees:

• North Carolina Public Transportation Association
• *Missouri Public Transit Association
• West Virginia Public Transit Association

Small Transportation System of the Year Nominees:

• Southwest Initiative For Mobility (SWIM), implemented by the Southwest Area Regional Transit District (SWART) of Uvalde, Texas, serving the Middle Rio Grande Region
• Champlain Islanders Developing Essential Resources (C.I.D.E.R.), serving Grand Isle County, Vermont.
• Giles Health And Family Center, serving the residents of Giles County, Virginia.
• Ready Ride!, implemented by the Potomac Valley Transit Authority, serving Potomac Valley, West Virginia.
• *North Central Regional Transit District, serving North Central New Mexico including Taos, Rio Arriba / Española, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Northern Pueblos

Large Transportation System of the Year Nominees:

• Mountain Line of Missoula Montana
• *Transit Services Of Frederick County Maryland