Industry experience with a people-first approach

About ASTP

Who we are

An ideal partner for student transportation contractors

American Student Transportation Partners is a powerful partner for student transportation operators who want to expand their footprint through organic growth via new bid wins and acquisitions within attractive markets.

We provide our contractor partners with access to a wealth of resources that support growth in competitive marketplaces, including proven marketing strategies, modern recruiting techniques, and strategic sourcing capabilities.

Established in 2021 by Access Holdings, our singular purpose is to partner with best-in-class student transportation operators who are committed to growing their businesses and leading their markets.

What we do

We’re driving the future of student transportation

American Student Transportation Partners (ASTP) is a national network of reliable transportation providers.

We’re driving the future of student transportation by providing access to education through safe, reliable student transportation programs.

Exceptional bus operators choose ASTP because of our innovative approach to partnership, as well as the resources we provide to help “future-proof” their operations.

Meet the Team

Executive leadership

Our executive leadership team is composed of experienced professionals from across the transportation industry. The team’s expertise and deep understanding of the student transportation industry go into every partnership we build.

President

Tod Eskra

Tod Eskra is an exceptional leader who brings executive experience, strategy, and sales execution to high-performing roles across multiple industries, including student transportation services.

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Tod’s career started with Enterprise Fleet Management, where he served for more than 15 years with his last role as Assistant Corporate Vice President of Northeastern Operations.

Tod entered student transportation in 2016, when he joined Student Transportation of America (STA) as the President of Transportation Sector Consultants (TSC), a wholly owned subsidiary of STA. There, he created and oversaw the industry’s first asset light fleet management company for student transport, expanding STA’s footprint into new markets.

In 2020, Tod became Chief Operating Officer for WFF Facility Services & Clean-Tech Company, providing facilities management programs to K-12, colleges, universities and large-scale commercial spaces nationwide.

Tod now serves as President of ASTP, where his wealth of experience is leveraged in service to school districts seeking safe, efficient, reliable transportation programs.

Tod holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Missouri.

Chief Financial Officer

Jim O’Brien

Jim O’Brien is a financial executive who has served as Chief Financial Officer for several transportation, manufacturing, and logistics companies, providing critical leadership and oversight for the integration of acquisitions, execution of investment theses and enabling enterprise value growth.

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Jim first entered the logistics industry in 1988, serving for 10 years as a Senior Division Controller for Waste Management, Inc. He went on to hold various senior financial positions at Superior Services and Metalclad Corporation. In 1999 Jim joined Stericycle and over his 7-year tenure served as VP of Finance, VP of Mergers & Acquisitions and VP of Finance – International.

Following Stericycle, he transitioned to the CFO role in PE-sponsored companies. He has worked with Blackstreet Capital Partners, Sun Capital Partners, LMZ Capital Partners and Atlantic Street Capital Partners.

More recently, Jim served as CFO for Sunrise Transportation, a student transportation provider in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. While at Sunrise Transportation, he was part of a management team that grew the business significantly, then provided financial and legal oversight for the successful ownership exit in 2018.

Jim now serves as Chief Financial Officer for ASTP, leveraging 25 years of transportation experience in his current role.

Jim received a BA in Accounting from Loras College and pursued an MBA at Drake University and De Paul University. He volunteers at the St. Malachy School’s Student Development Program and Loras College’s Student Mentor Program.

Jeff Ellis ASTP Chief People Officer
Chief People Officer

Jeff Ellis

Jeff Ellis is a leader and executive with broad industry experience in transportation, environmental services, health care, and utilities. He has served in multiple functional areas including human resources, safety and risk management, operations, and sales.

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Jeff’s career started in the environmental services industry where he progressed from technical and regulatory compliance roles into management. Leveraging this experience, Jeff moved into a role as Senior Consultant for the environmental insurance unit of XL Capital Ltd, where he worked to help customers in the transportation, chemical, and environmental sectors improve their safety and risk management programs.

In 2005, Jeff transitioned to the transportation industry and joined Student Transportation of America, serving as Corporate Director of HR, Risk Management & Safety. During his tenure, he spearheaded new leadership development and training programs and developed a corporate recruiting program that doubled driver candidates in key markets with shortages. Jeff then joined TransCare, Inc., a healthcare and medical transportation company, serving as Vice President, Human Resources, Risk Management & Safety, where he led employee engagement, safety culture and process improvement initiatives.

In 2015, Jeff held HR management roles in both the power generation and utilities businesses of Exelon Corp., then returned to student transportation when he joined ASTP. Today, he proudly serves as Chief People Office for ASTP working to celebrate and elevate the high impact profile of school transportation employees and drivers – real HEROES.

Jeff earned a BS in Environmental Sciences at Wesley College and an MBA from Georgian Court University. He is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resource (SPHR) through HRCI.

Chief OPERATING Officer

Phil Eades

Phil Eades is an accomplished logistics and transportation executive with a career spanning over three decades, specializing in service delivery, process improvement and operational excellence. He has consistently delivered exceptional results and has fostered high-performing and collaborative teams in dynamic corporate environments, including student transportation services.

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Phil started his post-graduate career in the LTL Trucking business and then quickly joined Airborne Express/DHL, where he served for 18 years in various service delivery leadership roles, with increasing levels of responsibility. His last role at DHL was as the Regional Field Services Director of the Southwestern United States.

In 2009, Phil entered student transportation, joining First Student Inc. as Region Operations Manager for Western Pennsylvania and then Area General Manager. While at First, he helped drive process improvements and the implementation of key management initiatives and programs. In 2018, Phil was promoted to Region Vice President for the Southwestern U.S.

Recently, Phil was Senior Vice President of Transportation at ModivCare Inc, where he led a team of Non-Emergency Transportation professionals, responsible for providing service across 38 states.

Phil holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he graduated from the Leeds School of Business.

Senior Vice President of Fleet & Facilities

Ron Halley

Ron Halley is an accomplished senior-level executive with 40 years of experience in the shipping and transportation services industry. 

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Ron started his career in 1991 as a package handler at United Parcel Services (UPS), working his way up to District Automotive Manager. In 2004, he served as a senior manager at FedEx Ground, where he was involved with a Hybrid/Hydraulic vehicle program. He was responsible for maintaining the line haul fleet, vehicle specifications, and fleet management. Ron and his team were responsible for advancements, including technology, braking systems, and lighting systems, while working closely with vehicle and component manufacturers.

In 2010, Ron worked as the Director of Assets at Harsco Corporation, a global industrial company, where he was responsible for managing capital requirements and reducing fleet costs. Most recently, Ron worked as the Vice President of Fleet and Facilities for Student Transportation, Inc. He introduced electric buses throughout North America and was responsible for designing and coordinating maintenance processes at new facilities. He led the company’s alternative fuel program, working closely with manufacturing and energy partners to expand lower-emissions vehicles.

As the Senior Vice President of Fleet and Facilities for ASTP, Ron leads electric bus integration, enhancement of maintenance processes and procedures, and management of our fleet into the future.

Ron graduated from Lincoln Technical Institute in Indianapolis and has a degree in Automotive and Diesel Technology.

Vice President of Information Systems & Technology

Richard Jerothe

Richard Jerothe is a seasoned IT Executive with over 37 years in managing technology within a multitude of industries including Transportation, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Consumer Products, and Pharmaceuticals. Specializing in developing stable technology operating models, Richard’s experience helps organizations navigate transformational change, organizational realignment, and merger and acquisition activities.

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In 1985, Richard’s focus on technology began to take shape as he started work for IBM as a Systems Analyst while completing his Bachelor’s Degree. He gained insight into technology management while working for American Cyanamid and Asea Brown Boveri. In 1996, Richard joined North Shore-LIJ Health System, where he provided core technology solutions for the healthcare industry while managing large-scale enterprise communications networks, storage systems, and data center operations.

In 2008, Richard became the Chief Information Officer of TransCare Corporation. He was responsible for company technologies that supported regional, urgent care, and paratransit transportation business operations. In 2015, Richard accepted a consulting opportunity as a Transitional Technology Officer for GPS Logic, where he assisted through an organizational realignment while helping to maintain the company’s mobile technology product line.

After concluding the engagement with GPS Logic, Richard followed into another consultative role, this time with AAA Club Alliance. After successfully assisting AAA with an organizational realignment vis-a-vis M&A, he took on a permanent role as Managing Director of Infrastructure. Leading the Infrastructure Department, Richard maintained operational responsibility for core technologies supporting the Roadside Assistance, Car Care Services, Retail, Insurance, and Travel business lines.

Richard joined ASTP in April 2022, helping to deliver the company’s technology initiatives.

Vice President, financial planning & analysis

Cam Johnson

Cam Johnson is a strategic finance leader with Fortune 100 experience who partners with executives to deliver profitable growth. He brings a track record of building finance teams and leading cross-functionally to achieve corporate objectives. 

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Prior to his role with ASTP, Cam served as Director of Finance and Head of Global Financial Planning and Analysis for Radius Global Infrastructure, a multinational corporation in the telecommunications infrastructure space. In this role, Cam led and transformed the organization’s Financial Planning and Analysis function from pre-IPO capabilities to those of a sophisticated global public company by improving efficiency, enhancing internal and external reporting, and delivering value-added insights to business partners. Previous to that, he held strategic finance roles at American Express and Aramark.

Cam holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University – Owen Graduate School of Management, with specializations in Finance and Strategy, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The George Washington University.

Our Mission, vision & values

Mission

To create and maintain reliable, efficient, and safe transportation programs that provide universal access to education.

Vision

To build a differentiated, operator-focused network of leading student transportation providers, staying true to what matters most – the students, staff, and schools who rely on us for daily service.

Values

Reliability

We are reliable, showing up every day, on time, committed to our districts, students, their parents, and the community.

Safety

We maintain the highest safety standards through steady investment in our people, equipment, and technology.

Efficiency

We continuously seek out improvements in all areas of our work, never satisfied with the status quo.

Opportunity

We believe in our employees, their abilities, and their ambitions, and do all we can to create lasting career opportunities for them.

Respect

We know that respect is the foundation of our business, and foster an environment of respect for every student, parent, educator, community member, and employee.

Contact us

Learn more about how ASTP helps student transportation contractors achieve their business goals.