CESO Transportation

Tom has more than 30 years of professional experience, over 20 of which have been providing consulting services. His work has focused on operations, logistics, and complex problem solving for hundreds of public and private sector clients. Tom has been at the forefront of change management and operational improvement within the student transportation and government services sector. He has developed a unique and nuanced understanding of how logistics impacts successful education and government service delivery. Awareness of cross-functional connections, the importance of data-supported analyses, and the critical manner in which complex subjects are communicated to diverse groups of stakeholders have each been developed and refined over Tom’s career as a trusted advisor to his clients.

Tom’s work is grounded in the understanding that informed and thoughtful decision making coupled with empowered leadership can drive lasting and meaningful improvement within any organization. Tom holds a degree in Maritime Transportation from the Maine Maritime Academy, and a Master of Business Administration from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.

Nikki has been with CESO since 2019, where she specialized in helping secure stable transportation for kids experiencing homelessness. Since then, she has served in a number of transportation leadership roles, most recently as our Director of Transportation Management Services. In her current position, Nikki works directly with school transportation and business leaders, sharing and facilitating best practices as they relate to transportation planning, vendor relations, student safety, and beyond.

Nikki loves working with schools to help students start and finish their day with positive, reliable bus community — consistent routes, pickup times, and drivers — throughout their childhood.

Mike has advised over 100 school districts throughout his 13 years of experience in transportation operations. He has served as a GIS specialist, routing and planning manager, operations manager, and consultant. Mike brings expertise within the areas of GIS mapping, technology implementation, analytics and reporting, and change management. Mike consistently aims to leverage data and analysis in order to support recommendations for his clients, as well as to effectively manage assets in daily operations. He has successfully done this for clients primarily within pupil transportation but also in trucking and public transit. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University.

Amanda Wheelan joined CESO Transportation as Director of Operations in 2021 after 15 years of experience at every level — from driver and dispatcher to router and transportation coordinator. In her role at CESO, Amanda oversees all district routers, helping empower them to meet deadlines, create new efficiencies, and deliver the best possible experience for families and school staff through customer service training.

Amanda is passionate about seeing students thrive, and she relishes the opportunity she has to build unparalleled door-to-door journeys that support learning each day.

Guttu has worked in student transportation for over a decade, transitioning to CESO in 2014 after years of coordinating transportation services for students attending a multiple school district desegregation program. Upon his arrival, Guttu served as a router and communications director, and has settled into his current role as school district Transportation Director.

When it comes to working with school districts, Guttu loves finding the little cracks in any transportation process, because increased efficiency means students get more of what they need to thrive.

Rich Enga is Vice President of Transportation for CESO (The Center for Efficiency in School Operations), where he currently serves in transportation leadership over eight Minnesota school districts. With over 20 years of industry experience in director of transportation and safety director roles, Rich brings a comprehensive knowledge of budgeting, operations, routing, technology implementation and beyond. Every day, Rich is driven not just by a passion for logistics, but the deep sense of purpose that comes from safely transporting the students who will shape our future.

For over 30 years, Melanie has been connected to school transportation, whether serving as a bus driver, router, or in her current role as Transportation Director. Melanie has a particular passion for helping schools pursue greater efficiency, including setting bus drivers up for success with the best possible information to facilitate equitable transportation experiences.

At CESO, Matt serves as the Director of Operations, acting as a point person between school district administrative staff — and our internal team of CESO transportation directors, routers and customer experience specialists — to ensure students are safely transported each day. Matt started with CESO in 2014 as a router, then moved into coordinator and training roles before settling into his current position. For Matt, the most rewarding part of his work is helping district employees offload the complexity of transportation logistics so they can focus more fully on caring for students.

After years of transportation and logistics work outside the K12 education community, Kevin brought his talent to school districts in 2009, joining CESO in 2019. In his role as Director of Safety and Compliance, Kevin manages vendor compliance through compliance monitoring and vendor reviews with the ultimate goal of keeping students safe through every aspect of their transportation journey.

Kevin fights to protect every student, understanding the depth and nuance of what it means to truly provide safe, reliable, and positive ridership. Kevin is an active member of Minnesota Association of Pupil Transportation (MAPT) and the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT).

Arlen brings 25 years of transportation management to the CESO team, helping provide a sense of stability and perspective that comes from holding a diversity of roles throughout his career. At CESO, he serves as a Transportation Director for multiple districts, helping to coordinate routing, customer service, vendor-partners and more to help thousands of students travel safely each day. Arlen is passionate about helping students by creating positive, comfortable and safe transportation experiences, and loves working with cross-functional teams to help school districts Rethink Possible.

Before his time at CESO, Arlen worked with First Student, running bus operations and garages for school districts for over 10 years. He is an active member of Minnesota Association of Pupil Transportation (MAPT).