2026 Conference Follow-up!

If you would like photos from the conference, I would be happy to share them with you! Please feel free to email me at reast@arktnraist.org, and I’ll be glad to send them your way.

Annual Meeting Awards

ARDOT Award Presentations

ARDOT's April Washington proudly presented the 5311 Agency of the Year Award to Northeast Arkansas Transit. The award was accepted by Jeremy Wooldridge, Executive Director (pictured left).

ARDOT's April Washington also proudly presented the 5310 Agency of the Year Award to Building Bridges Developmental and Community Services (pictured right). Pictured from left to right are LeAnn Dyson, Janie Sexton (Executive Director), Rossi Norwood-Armstrong, and Wendell Walker.

Congratulations to both organizations on these well-deserved awards! Thank you for your dedication and commitment to public transportation in Arkansas!

Danny Chidester Receives ATA President’s Award

Adam Waddell (left), ATA Board President, presented the President’s Award to Danny Chidester (right), Public Transportation Safety & Security Officer with the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT).

The award honors Danny for his dedication, leadership, and valuable contributions to public transportation throughout Arkansas.

Congratulations, Danny, on this well-deserved honor! We appreciate all you do to support and strengthen public transportation.

Ann H. Gilbert Distinguished Service Award

Scott Bogren (left), Executive Director of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), had the honor of presenting the newly established Ann H. Gilbert Distinguished Service Award to Ann H. Gilbert (right), former Executive Director of the Arkansas Transit Association, who retired in October 2026 after 38 years of dedicated service.

As a longtime colleague and mentor, Scott recognized Ann for her outstanding leadership, dedication, and lasting contributions to public transportation in Arkansas and beyond. This special award honors Ann's remarkable career and the impact she has made on the transportation community.

Congratulations, Ann, on this well-deserved honor! Thank you for 38 incredible yearsof service and dedication to ATA and public transportation!

ATA Board of Directors & Officer Elections

On Tuesday, October 13th, ATA held its Annual Membership Meeting, where the Board of Directors election results were announced.

All terms are for three years:

Rural Public Transit System Representative – Dana Bates, South Central Arkansas Transit, Benton
Rural Public Transit System Representative – Jack Chisum, North Arkansas Transportation Services, Harrison
Member At-Large Representative – Chris Pyles, The Learning Center of Northeast Arkansas, Jonesboro

Following the membership meeting, the Board of Directors held its Annual Meeting to elect officers for the upcoming year: