10/13/2025
Congratulations to all our winners of the 2025 Excellence Awards!
TAM’s Annual Awards Ceremony took place Wednesday, October 8, honoring organizations and individuals in the following categories: TAM Hall of Fame; Outstanding Transit Innovation; Outstanding Leadership; Rising Star; Outstanding Transit System; and Driver of the Year.
Presented by Awards Committee chair Deanna Archey of Montgomery County and Executive Director John Duklewski, and sponsored by Uzurv, the following individuals and agencies were honored and presented awards alongside Travis Johnston, Director of the Office of Local Transit Support, MDOT MTA; and Suzanne Kalmbacher, Board President, TAM.
TAM Hall of Fame: Jeffry Barnett
With a career spanning six decades, Jeffry Barnett is a founding member of the Transportation Association of Maryland, a long-time Board Member, a former President of the Association (2021-2024), and a ubiquitous voice for public transit during his 47 year career in community transportation. He is recognized for his outstanding contributions to TAM, helping to take it from the small association meeting in the Severna Park Public Library to the 130+ member organization it is today, hosting events with hundreds of attendees from across the state.
Rising Star: Mary Dennis, Transit Services of Frederick County
Since beginning with Frederick County Transit in March 2023, Mary Dennis has excelled in her work in promoting Frederick Transit to the community it serves. She is an untiring advocate for public transit, engaging both the local community and elected officials. She has provided travel training, partnered with more than 15 organizations to adopt bus stops, and has previously been recognized as the 2023 Marketing and Outreach Award winner from Commuter Transportation. She has also been honored with the 2024 Frederick County Synergy Award.
Outstanding Transit Innovation Program: Cecil Transit's COMPASS
Founded in 2021 through a Integrated Mobility Innovation (IMI) grant, COMPASS is designed to connect individuals in recovery from substance abuse with the essential services they need to rebuild their lives, like employment, therapy, medical appointments, court obligations, grocery shopping, and community support networks. COMPASS successfully transitioned from its initial IMI-funded pilot into a sustainable, permanent service by layering diverse funding streams, including the Comprehensive Opioid Stimulant and Substance Use Program and Maryland’s Opioid Restitution Fund in FY24 that also expand the referral base for the program. From fewer than 5,000 completed passenger trips in FY22 to more than 10,000 in FY24, COMPASS has more than doubled its ridership in just three years. The vast majority of these rides, about 40%, are for medical needs.
Outstanding Leadership Award: Jaime McKay, Transit Services of Frederick County
Jaime McKay joined Frederick Transit in 2021 as Deputy Director, and during that time she has led transformative improvements – serving over 925,000 riders in FY25 (which is a 9% year over year improvement), enhancing routes, doubling the number of shelters, and leading three ARPA-funded projects that brought real-time arrival data, streamlined operations, and expanded rural service, including Saturday rural route service for the first time ever. These accomplishments were possible thanks to Jaime’s hands-on style of leadership. She rides Transit buses regularly – not just as an occasional ‘lets see how they’re running’ but as a passionate customer. She collaborates with staff and drivers and has earned the affectionate title from them of ‘Chief Morale Officer.’ Ms. McKay has been honored elsewhere – Mass Transit magazine has recognized her twice for outstanding contributions and leadership in public transportation, and she has also received an award for her leadership on disability issues.
Outstanding Transit System: Montgomery County Ride On
Over the course of the year, Ride On balanced its long-standing commitment to safety and customer care with the challenges of ridership recovery and the need to operate efficiently within a constrained financial environment. Through these efforts, Ride On reinforced its role as a vital community connector, supporting economic opportunity, education, and quality of life for Montgomery County residents and visitors.
Safety remained the foundation of Ride On’s operations throughout the year. Reporting procedures were streamlined, ensuring that both operators and riders could feel secure while using the system. Partnerships with county law enforcement and emergency services enhanced preparedness and provided coordinated responses to incidents, further strengthening the system’s safety culture
Operational improvements focused on sustainability and reliability. Ride On continued investing in cleaner bus technologies, expanding its use of hybrid and electric vehicles while reducing the environmental impact of its fleet. Maintenance processes were refined to reduce downtime and extend vehicle life, contributing to stronger system performance.
Fiscal responsibility guided every decision. Ride On balanced its budget by strengthening internal financial controls and containing costs while also expanding non-fare revenue streams such as advertising, which grew by 10 percent.
Employees remained the backbone of the system, and Ride On invested in their well-being and development. Absenteeism was reduced through targeted wellness initiatives, flexible scheduling, and attendance incentives. Staff training was expanded to cover areas such as ADA compliance, customer care, and enhanced safety procedures, equipping employees with the skills and confidence to meet the needs of the community, while providing an adequate work life balance.
Driver of the Year - Luis Reyes Flores, Montgomery County Ride On
Luis has a stellar driving record with zero infractions. He remains composed and professional at all times. He has a reputation amongst his customers as being ‘very polite and kind’ and ‘aware of the responsibilities that come with driving a large bus’. These are all excellent qualities – ones we hope all our operators can share. But our honoree this year did something extra that went above and beyond the normal call of duty – an act that places him above our other worthy nominees, and a place with our other past winners.
On August 8, 2024, Operator Luis Flores noted that a passenger was experiencing a drug overdose while on a Ride On Bus. Another passenger administered NARCAN, however – the stricken passenger was still not breathing. Luis called Central Communications and then dialed emergency services – 911. He gave the 911 operator the vital information needed to save this woman’s life and followed the instructions of the 911 operator by placing this passenger on her back on the floor of the bus and performed life-saving CPR until the paramedics arrived.
For this heroic action, saving the life of his passenger, Luis Flores achieved the highest level of service an operator can accomplish – performing his job duties in an extraordinarily difficult situation with the sort of calm and poise that saved a life.
Congratulations to all of our Winners!
