Dave Sweeley joined the CESO Transportation team after a long career managing logistics for both Voigt's Bus Service and several golf courses. In his role, he focuses on delivering optimized solutions for our clients. Born and raised in Minnesota, he and his wife, Beth, now live in Arizona but come back regularly to enjoy their family and all the best that the North Star State has to offer, especially during the summer.

Brian brings years of experience in customer service and logistics management that make him a perfect fit for his role as a Transportation Specialist II. Prior to joining CESO, he focused on training employees, maximizing resources, and solving escalated customer concerns at several healthcare companies. When not at work, Brian can be found at Top Golf or exploring his interest in technology and coding.

Arabella has many years of customer service experience, including most recently with Target before joining CESO. Her client-focused call center background makes her a perfect fit for her role in working with students and caregivers on their transportation questions.

Arlen brings over 25 years of transportation management to the team, helping provide a sense of stability and perspective that comes from holding diverse roles throughout his career. At CESO, he partners with multiple districts 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).

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 Lead. 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.

With over 20 years of industry experience in director of transportation and safety director roles, Rich Enga 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.

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.

Mike has advised over 100 school districts throughout his 13+ years of experience in school 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 change management. He consistently leverages data analysis to support recommendations for his clients and to effectively manage daily operations. In addition to his work with pupil transportation, he also has experience with trucking and public transit. Mike holds a bachelor's degree from Penn State 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.

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.