Kirk Self
TAPT President
Greetings! It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve as the President of this wonderful organization, TAPT! Thank you for the privilege to serve and I truly look forward to working with the membership and vendors who support our organization.
TAPT is very rich in history and so very fortunate that the vision of so many has brought our organization to where it is today. This organization offers so much: from the exceptional certification courses offered throughout the year, the unique opportunity to network with one another through the pupil transportation e-group or the visiting with one another at conferences to share ideas that help our overall goal in transportation- The Safety of Students!
To all the Vendors who help support TAPT and the local chapters affiliated with TAPT, Thank you! We are so appreciative of your generosity but more importantly your willingness to help all of us continue to make a difference in the lives of students by providing top notch products that help each of our districts and bus drivers provide this valuable service to the students who ride our buses.
I want to thank the Executive Committee of TASBT for the great programs and certification courses offered for our school bus technicians. TASBT is a vital part of TAPT, and we are grateful for all the Great technicians we have in our State that help keep our buses in exceptional condition! Take time to thank your technicians at your school district, as they are crucial to the safety of students who ride our buses.
The Executive Committee of TAPT will be busy this year! We will keep an extremely close watch on the activity with the State Legislature, to ensure that decisions being made provide what is best for students who ride buses. Dan Roberts, Legislative Chair, will keep us all posted as to upcoming legislative bills that could affect transportation. Sam Davila, program chairperson, has already begun working on a fantastic program for the June 2011 conference being held at the Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. You won’t want to miss an exceptional conference! Please know the Executive Committee is here to work for you! If you have a concern or suggestion, please share with your Area Director or contact me at kirk@tapt.com or by phone 806-677-2670.
If you have a desire to run for a position on the Executive Committee, please contact Jackie Fields (jackie@tapt.com) or your Area Nominating Committee member (see TAPT website for your Area Nominating Representative). Jackie will be working with the Nominating Committee to have a list of candidates to present for office by the January 2011 Executive Committee Meeting. Rhonda Davis, President Elect, and I will be attending as many chapter meetings throughout the State as we can to visit with you. Your Area Directors will be communicating a lot of information from the Executive Committee Meetings. Please know it is extremely important to the Executive Committee that we communicate with you, but also address any concerns or suggestions you might have.
We had a wonderful conference in Arlington, and I thank Jackie Fields for her leadership and dedication as our President at the Arlington conference! We are very excited about the upcoming conference in Galveston! Our theme for the conference is “TAPT: Making a Difference”. Have a great year!
Kirk Self,
TAPT President
