Max Christensen Joins First Light Safety Products as Senior Safety Advocate
May 3, 2024
First Light Safety Products (FLSP) is pleased to announce that Max Christensen is joining our team as our Senior Safety Advocate, starting on May 6, 2024, bringing his extensive experience and dedication to student transportation across North America. Max’s journey, growing up with a school bus connection, aligns with FLSP’s commitment to enhancing safety in the pupil transportation industry.
The Christensen family’s passion for school buses began before Max was even born, with his father, Dale, working as a part-time school bus driver in Iowa. In 1986, Max’s life took a turn when he helped a stuck pickup truck, leading to a recommendation from the pickup driver for the transportation director position at Anita Community School District. Initially hesitant, Max took the job to supplement his farming income. Despite thinking it would be part-time, the “yellow” got into his blood while he found himself taking on multiple roles in Fort Dodge, before becoming the transportation director at Perry Community School District in 1998.
In 2003, Max applied for and secured the position of state director for student transportation at the Iowa Department of Education. His journey continued in 2012 when he became President of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation (NASDPTS), where he served as the President for 2 years and an additional 8 years on the NASDPTS executive team. Max emphasizes that “over the years, the problem of illegal passing has stood out as the one safety issue with school buses that remains prevalent to this day, is the problem of illegal passing. Through the annual NASDPTS illegal passing survey, comments from the field, and personal observations, we know it’s a huge problem that seems to have not gotten any better with time. First Light Safety’s Fully Illuminated Stop Arm and School Bus Sign are breakthrough technologies proven to be effective deterrents to this safety problem. Our job is to keep kids safe – and this equipment does that!”
We look forward to his valuable contributions to our team. Kevin Smith, President of SMG and First Light Safety Products, concluded, “We are thrilled and honored that Max has chosen to spend the next chapter of his pupil transportation career with First Light. Max’s belief in the impact our products have and his success championing student safety at the state and national level make him the perfect fit for our team.”
Read the full article in the STN May 2024 issue, page 16.
