Poudre School District is pleased to announce that Michael Quijano will serve as PSD’s director of Transportation Services, a department that buses thousands of students each day.
Quijano started in PSD in 2015 and has served as interim Transportation director since May 2022. Matt Bryant, PSD Chief Operations officer, highlighted Quijano’s breadth of experiences and lauded his dedication to the department and district.
“He has worked tirelessly, moving up from driver, to lead driver, to supervisor, to vehicle maintenance manager,” Bryant said. “Michael has shown that he cares deeply and can do difficult jobs; he’s been successful in all of them.”
Quijano, a 26-year U.S. Navy veteran and former military maintenance chief, says that collaboration and frank discussions are important aspects of the department’s work.
“The work Transportation staff does isn’t easy and is critical for our students to get to and from school, athletics and extracurricular activities,” said Quijano. “Having high expectations and holding one another accountable leads to even better experiences for those we serve, and I’m excited to continue moving our department forward with our team.”
The Transportation Department has 199 employees and maintains and operates 183 buses and 162 fleet vehicles. The team has successfully navigated challenges over the past several years, from shifting state COVID protocols for public school buses to ongoing driver shortages and leadership changes. Quijano has served as interim Transportation director twice in his seven years with PSD, bolstering Bryant’s confidence in his ability to take on the role permanently.
Born at Royal Air Force Base, Lakenheath, England, Quijano was well-traveled by the time he arrived in his home country at 6 years old.
After starting in the restaurant industry, he joined the Navy at 18 years old and never looked back. He later retired as a senior chief after 26 years of leadership throughout North America and in interesting locations including the Philippines, Qatar, and Japan. His children consider Kailua, Hawaii, their hometown, but the family also lived in San Diego, Norfolk, and Whidbey Island, Washington.
He was an avid soccer player throughout childhood, even winning the intramural championship on a team with Amanda, now his wife. They have four children and a grandson who will all be converging in Colorado for Christmas.