Jeff Meilbeck, Executive Director of the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (NAIPTA) in Flagstaff, has been named the 2014 Community Transportation Manager of the Year. The award was made by the Community Transportation Association of America at its annual Awards Banquet in St. Paul, Minn., in recognition for his efforts to improve mobility options in and around Flagstaff.
The award, presented annually at the Association’s national EXPO, recognizes excellence by managers of community transportation systems in serving the needs of people in their communities. Elaine Wells of the Association’s Board of Directors – in presenting the award, described Jeff as having “a 16-year track record at his agency of record ridership, exceptional local voter and financial support, national awards and a constant trajectory of growth and progress for the agency, its passengers and its hometown.
She also added, “our winner’s leadership permeates the organization (NAIPTA), with all employees fully committing to the mission of “Getting You Where You Want to Go.” His staff speaks glowingly of his open door policy, fairness, accessibility and accountability. Recently, he has taken on leadership roles at the national level on operators of all sizes get the investment they need to continue building services and meeting customer demand.”
According to Wells, Meilbeck “is proof that outstanding leaders don’t have to be the loudest people in the room, or even to call attention to themselves. Rather, he leads by example through his strong commitment to employees, passengers and the community.”
The Community Transportation Association, established in 1989, is a national nonprofit membership association committed to removing barriers to isolation and improving mobility for all people. The Association provides informational resources, technical assistance, training and certification, and many additional resources to communities, transportation providers, and other groups to increase mobility and improve the quality of community and public transportation.