Women in Buses Monthly Update: September 2025
New members, Marketplace leadership representation, upcoming events, and milestones to celebrate!
September 2025
Welcome New Members!
- Emily Cornell – Queen’s Quest, LLC
- Mindy Caldwell – Portland Spirit River Cruises
- Mary Howerton – School Tours of America
- Vicki Annison – Leisure Time Group
- Christine Goff – School Tours of America
- Julie Miller – Student Travel Navigators
- Elisabeth Andrew – Visit Norfolk
- Sara O’Neal – Adventure Tours
- Laurie Trout – Bedford County School District
- Mary Kate Martin – Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
- Shannon LaPoint Boyle – Cincinnati Museum Center
- Lorrie Love – Outer Banks Visitor Bureau
ABA’s Marketplace Co-Chairs Selected
Each year ABA selects a Marketplace Chair to assist in hosting the annual meeting and marketplace. This year marks a landmark anniversary for ABA, as it celebrates its 100th birthday. As ABA reflects on its past and all the accomplishments it has achieved, it is also thrilled about what the future holds.
Using this as inspiration for their selection of the Marketplace Chair, they decided to have a duo that represented the success leading up to this year and the bright future shining ahead. Kim Grzywacz and Danielle Wilkinson could not embody this any more perfectly. This mother-daughter duo represents their family-owned bus company, CIT Signature Transportation, based in Iowa. Both Kim & Danielle have been integral parts of the Women in Buses council; Kim served as Membership Chair, Chair, and Past Chair, from 2015-2021 (fun fact, she was the first inaugural WIB Social in 2013 at her first ABA in Charlotte), and Danielle is currently serving on the WIB Marketing Committee.
Having such representation as our Co-Chairs for Marketplace this year is truly exciting, and we, as a council, could not be prouder of this duo. Please join us in congratulating Kim & Danielle!
Help Us Guide You
We want to invite you to help guide us toward initiatives and opportunities that best serve our members and strengthen the Women in Buses Council. The goal of this survey is to gain a deeper understanding of your interests, enabling us to create opportunities and design programming and content that reflect what matters most to each of you.
Please take a few minutes to complete this short 2-minute Council Membership Survey by Friday, October 17. Your participation is essential and truly helps to make a difference—we look forward to shaping the future of Women in Buses Council together.
Connecting Through Conversations (CTC): Your Networking Opportunity
CTC is the Women in Buses Council’s networking program designed to spark connections, one conversation at a time. Members are paired quarterly for virtual or in-person chats, creating opportunities to build relationships, share insights, and strengthen our industry.
Matches for the fall will be sent next week, so keep an eye on your inbox.
Upcoming WIB Events
Webinar: Fleet & Driver Wellness
October 1, 2:00 p.m. ET
Prioritizing Health, Safety, and Well-being on the Road
Women in Buses’ very own Operations, Maintenance & Driver Vice Chair, Keleigh Taylor will be hosting your October WIB Webinar.
A safe, efficient, and sustainable fleet begins with healthy drivers. This webinar will explore best practices and strategies for supporting driver wellness—covering physical health, mental well-being, and overall safety on the road. Industry experts will discuss the unique challenges drivers face, including long hours, stress management, and maintaining healthy habits while on the move.
Attendees will gain insights into:
- Practical approaches to driver health and wellness programs.
- Strategies for reducing fatigue and improving alertness.
- The link between wellness, safety, and fleet performance.
Whether you manage a fleet or support professional drivers, this session will provide actionable tools to strengthen driver safety and wellness initiatives, helping ensure both drivers and operations thrive.
Don’t miss out on this informative topic; register today!
*Unable to attend on the day of the webinar? Register and you will receive the recorded version that you can then watch at your convenience.
Webinar: Handling Customer Disputes & Resolutions
November 5, 2:00 p.m. ET
When the Wheels Come Off: Managing Disputes, Compensation, and Customer Trust in Charter & Tour Services. Prioritizing Health, Safety, and Well-being on the Road
Learn how to protect revenue while maintaining trust and fairness with customers when the unexpected happens. Stay tuned for more details to come!
Register today to reserve your spot. (NOTE: Webinars require separate registrations and are no longer part of Zoom meetings.)
WIB Wednesday Meet & Eat
October 15, 1:00 p.m. ET
Curious about something? Looking for advice? Or just want to meet some incredible people in tourism?
Come join our monthly virtual chat! This is your space to guide the conversation, swap ideas, and make genuine connections across the industry. Whether you’re here to learn, share, or simply network, you’ll find a welcoming community. Many great friendships and even game-changing collaborations have started in these chats. Don’t miss out!
WIB On the Road
Join your fellow Women in Buses members on the road at different industry events. See our next outings coming up:
Bus Association of New York
October 27, 1-1:30 p.m., Outside the Horizon Ballroom
Ontario Motorcoach Association
November 5, 5-6:30 p.m., Absolute Bar
National Travel Association
November 10, 5:00 p.m., National Parks Pavilion (on the conference floor)
Do you have an event you are attending soon? Are you interested in helping to host an OTR? We’re always on the hunt for additional opportunities to meet. Contact us at [email protected].
WIB Book Club
August wrapped up with the second WIB Book Club meeting of the year. The summer’s book selection, The Many Lives of Mama Love, happened to be the top-rated book we’ve read to date, yielding a solid 4.33 STARS from our club. August’s meeting was also our most attended meeting to date! If you’re looking for a great motivational read, absolutely pick up this memoir by Lara Love Hardin. If you’re looking for a low-key book club that is reading some fantastic books, join us on November 13, 2:00 p.m. ET.
The club is excited to announce its fall read, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin. The club returns to fiction with this selection. It’s a story of an unlikely friendship between a 17-year-old terminal patient, Lenni, and an 83-year-old Margot. Ironically, this story may even be an EXCELLENT lead-in for WIB Day! Stay tuned!
Women in Buses Day
January 9, 2026, 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. PT
If you are attending Marketplace in Reno, NV, don’t forget to make your travel arrangements to include Women in Buses Day. This is our annual opportunity to come together as a council and celebrate our accomplishments from the previous year, as well as discuss our future goals for 2026. The theme this year will be centered around goals, focusing on how to identify and accomplish them. More exciting announcements are to come, so keep an eye on our social media and newsletter!
Milestone Moments
Quick’s Chief Financial Officer, Mona Seaman, received the Virginia Motorcoach Association President’s Award for her leadership and service. Mona has served as the association’s secretary and treasurer. Congratulations Mona!
Submit a milestone moment for yourself or a colleague by emailing [email protected].
The WIB Council thanks MCI for its continuing support and sponsorship.
