Hillsborough County Public Schools says its transportation leader won a national award. School Transportation News named Laura Hill its National Transportation Director of the Year.
Hill is the district's general manager of transportation. The district says she is the first transportation leader from Florida to receive the honor.
Each school day, more than 80,000 district students ride district transportation to and from school. The district says Hill's leadership helped build a culture of safety, reliability and service.
"This is an incredible achievement," said Superintendent Van Ayres.
The president and publisher of School Transportation News praised Hill for measurable improvements. He cited three areas:
- Streamlined operations
- Stronger driver recruitment
- A modernized school bus fleet, one of the largest in the nation
The publisher also said Hill started her career as a school bus driver.
The district says the honor also reflects the work of its whole transportation team. That team includes bus drivers, mechanics and support employees across Hillsborough County.
School Transportation News covers the award in its November 2026 issue.
