2026 NAPT Hall of Fame inductee honored for more than three decades of service, mentorship and leadership in student transportation
More than three decades of leadership, mentorship and commitment to professional growth earn longtime student transportation leader the profession’s highest NAPT honor
For more than 30 years, Keith Henry, CDPT, has built a career around a deceptively simple idea: leave student transportation a little better than he found it.
In October, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) will recognize just how much better the profession is because of his work when Henry is inducted into the NAPT Hall of Fame, the highest honor the Association can bestow upon an individual. The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose distinguished service, influence and contributions have made an enduring impact on NAPT and the pupil transportation profession.
For Henry, however, the recognition is difficult to separate from the people who have shared the journey with him.
“I am truly humbled by this recognition and, honestly, find myself asking, ‘Why me?’ I have simply tried to serve, help where I can, and leave student transportation a little better than I found it. This profession has given me far more than I could ever give back, especially through the friendships, mentors and people I have had the privilege to work alongside. To be included in the NAPT Hall of Fame is an honor I never expected and one I am deeply grateful to receive.”
That humility is also part of what colleagues say has defined Henry’s leadership.
“Keith may ask, ‘Why me?’ but those of us who have had the privilege of working alongside him know exactly why,” said Molly McGee Hewitt, PhD, CAE, NAPT Executive Director & CEO. “His legacy is not defined by a title or a single accomplishment. It is found in the people he has mentored, the leaders he has helped develop, the partnerships he has strengthened and his unwavering belief that investing in transportation professionals ultimately means investing in safer, stronger service for students. Keith represents the very best of NAPT and of this profession, and his place in our Hall of Fame is incredibly well deserved.”
A Career Built on Service
Henry began his student transportation career in 1994 as a transportation director for a small Missouri school district. Over the next three decades, his career would take him through increasingly complex leadership roles across Missouri, from the St. Louis region to Kansas City and ultimately Lee’s Summit School District. Those experiences gave him a perspective spanning both small and large transportation operations and helped shape his collaborative approach to leadership.
His involvement in the profession quickly extended beyond his own transportation department.
Henry became involved with NAPT in 1996, first serving on the Professional Development Committee before joining the NAPT Board of Directors and eventually serving as NAPT President. Today, he continues that national service as a member of the NAPT Foundation Board.
At the state level, his commitment to the Missouri Association for Pupil Transportation (MOAPT) has been equally extensive. His service has included committee work, leadership of the School Bus Safety Competition, membership on the Board of Directors, service as president and, today, his role as Executive Director.
Across those roles, a common thread has emerged: Henry has consistently worked to create opportunities for other transportation professionals to learn, lead and succeed.
Developing the People Who Move the Profession Forward
Professional development has been one of Henry’s most lasting areas of influence.
Through decades of involvement with NAPT, he has helped advance the Professional Development Series, expand instructor capacity, improve certification pathways and increase access to quality education for transportation professionals nationwide. In Missouri, he led the redesign of the state’s Driver Trainer Certification Program through a partnership between MOAPT and NAPT, creating a three-phase model incorporating online learning, webinars and regional in-person instruction.
The work reflects Henry’s belief that student safety begins with the people responsible for providing that transportation and that those professionals need meaningful opportunities to continually strengthen their skills.
His efforts have also helped forge stronger connections between state and national professional development. Missouri’s joint MOAPT-NAPT membership initiative and integrated certification programs have expanded access to education while creating new opportunities for engagement between the two organizations.
That emphasis on collaboration has extended throughout Henry’s career. His Hall of Fame nomination describes a leader who has built relationships across roles, administrators, drivers, technicians, dispatchers, trainers, families and community partners, while creating cultures centered on respect, accountability and teamwork.
Leadership When It Mattered Most
Henry’s service to NAPT also includes leading the Association through one of its most difficult periods.
Following the passing of NAPT President Don Carnahan, Henry stepped forward to guide the Association through an unexpected leadership transition. His steady presence helped provide organizational stability while keeping NAPT focused on its members and its responsibility to advance the profession.
It is one example of the servant leadership that colleagues have seen from Henry throughout his career: a willingness to step forward when needed, without making the moment about himself.
Kenny Mulder, CDPT-SNT, Director of Transportation for Special School District, nominated Henry for the Hall of Fame and pointed specifically to the reach of that leadership.
“Many transportation leaders today credit his encouragement, guidance, and example as instrumental in their own professional growth,” Mulder wrote in his nomination. “His legacy is measured not only by his own accomplishments but also by the success of those he has inspired and developed throughout his career.”
Leaving the Profession Better
Perhaps that is the answer to Henry’s question: Why me?
The NAPT Hall of Fame is intended not simply to recognize a long career, but to recognize contributions whose value will endure for future generations of pupil transportation professionals.
Henry’s influence can be found in certification programs and leadership initiatives, in stronger connections between state and national organizations, and in transportation professionals who became better leaders because someone took the time to teach, encourage or mentor them.
His career demonstrates that lasting change in student transportation does not always come from one transformative moment. Sometimes it comes from decades of showing up, sharing what you know, developing others and finding the next opportunity to serve.
Keith Henry set out to leave student transportation a little better than he found it.
More than 30 years later, the leaders he has developed, the programs he has strengthened and the profession he continues to serve provide compelling evidence that he has done exactly that.
Keith Henry, CDPT, will be formally inducted into the NAPT Hall of Fame during NAPT ACTS 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Learn more about the NAPT Hall of Fame.