President – PWT Student Transportation

Les Cross is a long-term veteran in the student transportation industry with over thirty-five years of experience.  He began his career in 1983 where he served as an executive with Cardinal Coach Lines & Weber Bus Sales before joining North America’s largest provider of pupil transportation, Laidlaw Passenger Services.  Les served Laidlaw as Vice President of Western Canada and most recently, Les served as Regional Vice President at Student Transportation of Canada. In addition to his full-time work in school transportation, Les has held the positions of President of the Ontario School Board Association, Director of Alberta’s School Bus Contractor’s Association, as well as Director of the Motor Carrier Passenger Council of Canada. In each of the positions Les has held, he has earned a reputation as a visionary leader and has made significant contributions in passenger safety, customer service and operational efficiencies.

Vice President – Human Resources Canada

Since September 2017, Damian has served as the Director of Human Resources of Student Transportation of Canada, and is well-positioned to successfully ensure the commitment of the company’s Human Resources Department to partner with and provide the highest level of support for our operating partners. Damian has more than two decades of HR experience, including providing day-to-day guidance regarding employee relations matters, negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements in represented locations, and recruiting, and has held a number of roles with increasing responsibilities throughout his career. Damian holds a B.A. in Criminology from the University of Windsor and a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from Conestoga College.

Vice President – Information Technology

Milan Eric is a Bishop’s University graduate with a BSc in Computer Science. He joined the Pacific Western Group of Companies in June of 2006 as a dedicated technology resource at Southland Transportation in Calgary. Throughout his career with PWT, Milan has spent 10 years as a technology leader of the Employee Division in Fort McMurray and in 2018 Milan moved back to Calgary in the capacity of Director, IT Planning for overall Pacific Western Group of Companies. Milan’s efforts and passion have been focused on leveraging technology, process optimization, innovation, and continuous Improvement to allow all aspects of business functions to operate more efficiently. Currently serving as VP of Information Technology, Milan leads the team of dedicated IT professionals that share the culture of Customer Service, Dedication, and innovation to enable and technologically support all aspects of the organization to provide world-class responsible and sustainable people transportation service.

Vice President – Business Development Canada

Kyle Johnston joined the Pacific Western Group of Companies in 2004 as a Journeyman Mechanic within the Diversified Transportation Fort McMurray division. Over the years, Kyle has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and progressed through various roles, starting as Saskatchewan Operations Manager. He has since earned several promotions, including Assistant General Manager, General Manager, and National Director of Business Development. Apart from overseeing operations, Kyle has played a vital role in driving PWT’s expansion into new markets through initiatives such as First Nations Joint Ventures, acquisitions, and new clients. His dedication to business growth and people development was recognized when he received the prestigious Bowie Sustainable Leadership Award in 2015. Currently serving as VP of Business Developement Canada, Kyle leads a dynamic team of communication, recruitment, and training professionals, fostering a culture of innovation and positive engagement.

Vice President – Student Line

Kyrie joined Southland Transportation in 2003 as a school bus driver when her children were very young. Driving a school bus enabled her to be at home and raise her and her husband’s two girls. In the years since joining the Southland family, she has had different responsibilities in operations, from reception to dispatch to General Manager and recently, PWT’s Senior Director of Operations for the student line of business. In addition to her full-time responsibilities, Kyrie has pursued her MBA. Kyrie’s strong operational and interpersonal skills have allowed her to develop positive working relationships with customers, employees and co-workers in the school bus industry.

Kyrie’s knowledge, passion, and experience within the industry, along with her leadership qualities, make her very well suited for this next step. Moving forward, Kyrie will continue to foster positive relationships in the industry and support our organization in its future growth and expansion.

Vice President – Employee Transportation

David Richards started at Diversified Transportation as General Manager in 2019 before being promoted to Vice President, Employee Transportation. Prior to joining Diversified, David was the Vice President of Environmental Services at Tervita. He also had a lengthy 28-year career in the Army, holding logistic and fleet management appointments in some of the most challenging environments around the globe.

David has extensive first-hand leadership experience and an impressive operational background in the Oil and Gas sector. He has led Diversified Transportation through many challenges and continued growing and diversifying the business. David has worked to build our reputation as a company focused on safety, customer service, employee engagement and innovation. David has led the hydrogen alternative fuel initiative and developed new technologies, which has placed Diversified at the forefront of clients throughout North America.

Vice President – Safety Canada

Jason has served as our Director of Safety for both Motor Coach and Transit since 2018.  As new Vice President of Safety (Canada), Jason will be responsible for Health and Safety across all of Canada, supporting all our operations with the shared goal of providing the safest and most reliable transportation services in the country. Jason has over 29 years of experience in Safety, Logistics, and Operations in multiple sectors within the transportation industry.  In his most recent role, Jason’s was responsible for managing the innovation and development of our safety programs in Motorcoach and Transit.  This includes standardizing health and safety policies and procedures, overseeing compliance, and leading strategic safety initiatives.

Jason received his OHS Diploma, Occupational Health and Safety in 2020 from the University of New Brunswick and graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Automotive, Technician.  He also is a Certified Safety Specialist, CSS and received his P. Log designation from The Logistics Institute of Canada.