Electric School Bus Ambassadors
WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative is proud to partner with the Electric School Bus (ESB) Ambassadors below to support school districts as they transition to electric school buses.
ESB Ambassadors are dedicated individuals across the country using their experience in student transportation and school bus electrification to help facilitate an equitable transition to ESBs.
ESB Ambassadors share their expertise at pupil transportation and other events, in online webinars, through written articles and more. They build connections with peers in student transportation and other fields, answer questions and provide free resources to help other districts go electric.
WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative is partnering with these Ambassadors to support districts across the country in making a successful transition to electric school buses, while centering equity in both process and outcomes.
Ambassadors
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Matt Berlin (NY) | Image
Paul S. D’Andrade (VA) | Image
Patrick Elwell (NY) |
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Tim Farquer (IL) | Image
Jackie Hayes (MA) | Image
Ken Martinez (UT) |
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Katrina Morris (MI) | Image
Donnie Owle (NC) | Image
Katie Tiger (NC) |
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Casey Ungs (CO) | Image
Charles A. Webster (NJ) |
Learn more about the Electric School Bus Ambassadors:
- Matt Berlin, CEO, NYC School Bus Umbrella Services
Matt Berlin is the CEO of NYC School Bus Umbrella Services, a private, non-profit school bus company serving 800 school bus routes for New York City Public Schools and private schools in the New York Area.
NYCSBUS has been a leader in bus electrification in New York. It was funded by the state's energy research and development agency to develop New York's model electric school bus depot. It is developing a curriculum for electric bus operators and maintainers with Bronx Community College and WRI, and is establishing an electric bus training center in Queens, NY. NYCSBUS is also, with the electric utility in New York, piloting automated load management and flexible grid connections to reduce the burden of electrification on the grid. NYCSBUS was a winner of the Smart Electric Power Alliance 2024 Transportation Power Player award.
Prior to his work at NYCSBUS, during the administration of NYC Mayor Bloomberg, Matt ran the city's school bus office, and was also the first general manager of the city's bike share system.
To read more about NYCSBUS's experience, read our profile here.
- Paul S. D’Andrade, Executive Director, Fairfax County Public Schools
Office of Transportation Services Paul S. D’Andrade is a distinguished leader in transportation, boasting over 20 years of experience in mass transit and pupil transportation. As the Executive Director for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Office of Transportation Services, he oversees the safe transport of more than 147,000 students. Since joining FCPS in 2019, Paul has pioneered the transition to a fully electric fleet, encompassing around 2,000 vehicles. His leadership is marked by a profound commitment to safety and equity, ensuring his team effectively serves the diverse needs of the Fairfax County Public Schools community.
In his role at FCPS, Paul has been instrumental in driving forward a bold project to convert the school district's large fleet to 100% electric vehicles. His approach, deeply rooted in safety and equity, empowers his team to meet the varied transportation requirements of the students in Fairfax County with efficiency and care.
- Patrick Elwell, Transportation Director and Head Bus Mechanic,
Naples Central School District Patrick Elwell is the Transportation Director and Head Bus Mechanic for the Naples Central School District starting in 2017. In 2022, Patrick purchased a Ford Lightning EV and with the research he did into EVs this gave him the knowledge to lead the Naples District into successfully deploying 2 Type C EV buses in March of 2024 and a Chevrolet Equinox EV in 2025.
Prior to joining the Naples School District, Patrick owned and operated an automotive repair shop in Naples for 37 years. During his time in business, he worked on several first generation EV’s and Hybrid vehicles owned by some of his customers.
Patrick was also a 40-year active Firefighter with the Naples FD and served as Chief of the Department for the last 25 years of his active service. He was very active in Special Operations serving on the Ontario County Haz-Mat team as well as a founding member of the County High Angle Rope Rescue Team and was active in swift water and ice rescue. During his tenure as Fire Chief, he led the department starting in the mid 90’s and beyond in extensive training on EV vehicles for vehicle extrication and fire suppression.
In Patrick’s free time he enjoys hobbies which includes his classic cars, woodworking and model trains.- Tim Farquer, Superintendent, Mercer County Schools; Founder, Bus2Grid
Tim Farquer is a former Senior Advisor within WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative. As a public school superintendent, his fleet electrification efforts at Williamsfield Schools earned him a 2024 STN Green Bus Fleet Award. As superintendent for Mercer County Schools, he led the purchase of the district’s first electric vehicle, which transports students to and from school each day. Tim is also the founder and administrative lead for Bus2Grid, helping schools across the nation electrify their fleets in ways that support clean energy and the local grid.
Tim holds a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Bradley University and an Educational Specialist degree from Western Illinois University. He lives in Williamsfield, Illinois with his wife Nadine, their kids, and their various pets. They are proud EV owners, primarily fueling their car with energy generated by their roof mount solar array.
- Jackie Hayes, Deputy Director of Transportation, Boston Public Schools
Jackie Hayes, Deputy Director of Transportation, joined the Boston Public Schools Department of Transportation in 2020 to improve strategic management of Boston's transportation vendor, who oversees school bus operations and maintenance. Boston owns a fleet of over 700 buses across three depots, which transports 22,000+ students each day to 225 schools, inside and outside of Boston. Jackie is leading the electrification of Boston's school bus fleet. Boston successfully deployed a pilot with 20 electric buses in the winter of 2023 and an additional 20 buses in 2024.
To read more about Boston's experience, read our profile here.
- Ken Martinez, Transportation Director, Salt Lake City School District
Ken Martinez began as a school bus mechanic at the age of 21. By the mid-90’s he helped implement the first natural gas buses in the state of Utah. Ken advanced his career in pupil transportation from mechanic to shop foreman then to fleet manager and is now the Transportation Director at Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD).
Ken was able to champion the idea of electric school buses to his district and in 2021 SLCSD received its first four electric buses, making it the first school district to implement electric school buses in the state of Utah. Now SLCSD, under Ken’s direction, is operating 12 electric school buses with a goal of 75 electric buses by 2035.
Pioneering electric buses in the state has allowed Ken the opportunity to share insights with others interested in electric school bus conversion across the country. His experience with electric school buses has been written about in many magazine articles. He accepted the award for The Small Public Fleet at the Green Bus Summit in 2022 presented by School Transportation News. Ken works closely with Utah Clean Cities and is excited to be an ambassador for WRI.
To read more about Salt Lake City's experience, read our profile here.
- Katrina Morris, Transportation Director, West Shore Educational Service District and
Mason County Eastern Schools Katrina Morris is the Transportation Director for West Shore Educational Service District and Mason County Eastern Schools, and is also the Executive Director for the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation. Katrina has been a driving force in bringing the unseen needs of transportation staff to the forefront of the education community. She has made great strides in changing the culture of transportation for the better by organizing multiple professional development trainings for school bus drivers throughout her local school districts as well as drivers from around the state. She continually champions the cause of bettering transportation for students' safety.
Katrina has worked with her local, state and county law enforcement agencies to create and execute “Proactive Response Training for School Bus Drivers,” a training that has been supported by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and mandated throughout the state for all school bus drivers in 2021.
In her spare time, Katrina has worked alongside WRI, the It’s Electric Coalition, and MDE to spread the news about electric school buses. She will be getting her first two electric school buses next school year.- Katie Tiger, Director for Land and Wellness, The Center for Native Health,
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Katie Tiger, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, serves as the Director for Land and Wellness at The Center for Native Health (CNH). In this capacity, she facilitates community-based initiatives that underscore the intrinsic relationship between environmental health and human well-being.
Prior to her tenure at CNH, Mrs. Tiger was employed in the Air Quality Program of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Natural Resources Department for 17 years. During that time, she successfully administered numerous grants from diverse funding agencies. Notably, in 2021, Mrs. Tiger authored and secured a grant to implement the electric school bus (ESB) initiative, which facilitated the replacement of a diesel school bus with the first electric school bus in the state of North Carolina. Subsequently, she procured two additional grants to replace the entire diesel school bus fleet of the Cherokee Boys Club with ESBs and continues to support this work for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Mrs. Tiger demonstrates a profound commitment to introducing alternative energy and fuel solutions to the Cherokee community, thereby promoting a healthier environment for Cherokee families and natural resources. Mrs. Tiger has actively participated in national organizations and committees, such as the National Tribal Air Association and the Tribal Air Monitoring Support Center steering committee, where she held the position of tribal chairperson. She also served as the Region 4 tribal representative on the EPA National Tribal Science Council for 15 years.
Mrs. Tiger holds a Bachelor of Science from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.
To read more about Cherokee Boys Club's experience, read our profile here.
- Casey Ungs, Transportation Director, Steamboat Springs School District
Casey Ungs is a high energy, transportation professional with over 20 years of experience in over the road, line haul and pupil transportation management. As transportation director for the Steamboat Springs School District in Colorado, Casey has been on the forefront of converting daily route operations to electric vehicles (EV) and alternative fuels vehicles in a rural, mountainous area. Casey has a strong commitment to the safety of students, staff and the local community.
Over the past 5 years Casey has successfully leveraged state and federal grants to add electric school buses into the district’s fleet. Starting with one electric school bus in 2020, the district now operates ten electric school buses on daily routes, six operating in-town and four operating in more rural areas.- Charles A. Webster, Director of Grants and Innovative Programming, Union City Board of Education
Charles is a dedicated and committed Urban Educator, who has taught from the university to the elementary school levels. He has delivered his message of “community empowerment through education” over 500 times in churches and schools from New York to Los Angeles. He has spoken at the Federal Reserve Bank, several corporations and to over 50 colleges and universities.
As director of the Summer Food Program, the program went from feeding 26,000 meals per summer to over 150,000 meals in four years. He created the “Family Pack,” which has provided 20,000 meals for families over the course of an academic year. He developed, designed and implemented one of the country’s first 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the Title IX Decision. The program, which was held in person and virtually, included panel discussions with several Olympic and university athletes, the coach of U.S. Olympic Track & Field, and women sports columnists from The Boston Globe.
Charles was instrumental in bringing five school districts together for an historic EPA Clean School Bus Program grant award to New Jersey Public Schools. He currently is working on bringing additional alternative energy opportunities to Union City.
Retired Electric School Bus Ambassadors
Learn more about former ESB Ambassadors who have recently retired.
- Craig Beaver, former Administrator for Transportation, Beaverton School District
Craig Beaver is a transportation expert with 40 years of experience in both private and public sectors. He oversaw Oregon's largest district-owned school bus fleet and a team comprised of over 300 employees and 320 buses, transporting 25,000 students daily and covering over 3 million miles annually.
In 2024, Craig was recognized as the Transportation Director of the Year by School Transportation News, celebrating his outstanding leadership and contributions to the industry. That same year, Beaverton was honored for its innovation, earning the title of Leading Public Fleet at the 2024 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo, further cementing the district’s reputation for forward-thinking sustainability.
Under Craig’s leadership, Beaverton became the first school district in Oregon to introduce electric school buses in 2021. The district operated 45 electric school buses and had installed 70 Level 2 and Level 3 chargers to support its growing fleet. In 2024, the district secured a $20 million grant from the EPA Clean School Bus Program to replace 50 diesel buses with electric models, further accelerating its transition to sustainable energy. By June 2026, Beaverton had 95 electric school buses in service, reinforcing its commitment to clean transportation.
To read more about Beaverton's experience, read our profile here.
- Tim Lutz, former Superintendent, Red Lake School District
Tim Lutz is an educator with 18 years of experience as a superintendent and a background as a teacher, counselor and principal. He recently retired after his fourth year as superintendent of Red Lake School District located in the Red Lake Nation of Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) in northwestern Minnesota.
As an early adopter of innovative ideas, Tim has enjoyed taking the lead on initiatives ranging from educational programs to cutting edge technology such as electric school buses and solar arrays for school district buildings. He is proud to have led one of the first school districts in rural Minnesota to acquire electric school buses. With two electric buses currently in the fleet and five more arriving soon, the district is expected to have 25% of its small fleet electrified.
Tim believes clean school buses align well with the Anishinaabe cultural beliefs of the Red Lake Nation and the values and teachings regarding protecting the land, waters and air for future generations. In addition, Tim believes that traditionally under-served populations, such as the Red Lake Native American community and its students, deserve to receive the benefits of innovative, equitable and sustainable energy which leads to energy equity and justice.
- Donnie Owle, former Service Manager, Cherokee Boys Club,
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians After Donnie Owle graduated from North Georgia Technical College, he went straight to work at Mountain Ford in Bryson City, North Carolina as a service manager and was there from 1986-2006. In 2006, Owle started his employment with the Cherokee Boys Club (CBC) and continues to work there as service manager.
During his time at CBC, Owle has been instrumental in transitioning the school bus fleet to alternative fuels. Owle was the project manager for a North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) grant received in 2020 to replace a diesel school bus with an electric school bus, along with installing the charging infrastructure.
To read more about Cherokee Boys Club's experience, read our profile here.
- Gilbert Blue Feather Rosas, former Director of Sustainability & Adaptation,
Modesto City Schools Gilbert Rosas has specialized in energy conservation, emissions reductions and grant project management for the past ten years, with a passion for seeking environmental justice for disadvantaged communities through electric school bus adoption and empowering students through sustainability initiatives and green career path choices.
In addition to WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative Advisory Council, Gilbert has served on Generation 180’s Solar Advisory Council and the District Innovation Hub for the California Environmental Literacy Initiative. He garnered national attention with two of the fastest electric school bus deployments in California’s history. In 2020, Stockton Unified School District went from design to construction to buses arriving and charging in less than 11 months.
From March 2022 to August 2026, Gilbert served as Director II of the Sustainability & Adaptation Department at Modesto City Schools, the 25th largest school district in California. The district has since converted half of its existing bus fleet, while exploring funding options for full electric conversion.To read more about Modesto City Schools' experience, read our profile here.