Chief Operating Officer Dean Suhre joined First Student in 2000. He is responsible for the overall day-to-day business results, with a focus on bolstering operational discipline and compliance down to the location level. Reporting to Dean are the Regional operations leaders, as well as the New Business Integration team, the Performance Assurance team and the Operational Support team.
“The way we impact the education process is by ensuring kids have a safe, reliable way to and from school each day. When we do that, we become more than a transportation services provider – we become a partner to the K-12 community.”
Dean is a 19-year veteran of the school bus industry, beginning his career with Laidlaw Education Services prior to the First Student acquisition in 2007. He has held various finance and operations support positions, including CFO for First Student from 2008-2011. Dean co-led Mission 1, an important reorganization and transformation project for First Student which resulted in significant overall improvements in safety results, customer service and employee satisfaction. He has also led the development of various technological advances and other operational improvement initiatives at First Student.
Dean holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a Master of Business Administration degree with Honors from Webster University. He is also a CPA, which he received while working as a public accountant early in his career.