New transportation director hired in Shrewsbury
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Transportation Director Drew Damien comes to Shrewsbury with 30 years' experience in the transportation field. PHOTO/MELISSA MUNTZ

Shrewsbury - When Drew Damien took a job as a school bus driver in 1978, he began a 30-year tour through the field of transportation that has made its most recent stop in Shrewsbury, where Damien has signed on as the new transportation director for Shrewsbury Public Schools.

"It's a very exciting field to be in," Damien said about his lifelong love of transportation. "You deal with weather situations, unpredictable traffic patterns and flows, construction projects that run way longer than they're scheduled to, so it keeps you on your toes."

Having been a bus driver himself, Damien said he's very able to relate to the people he is working with every day.

"I'm on the radio with drivers and I can tell exactly what's happening on that bus because I've been there," he said.

It's his ability to interact well with not only the drivers but also parents that made Damien a clear standout for the job, Superintendent Dr. Anthony Bent said.

"There are difficult and serious issues when you deal with transportation so it's extremely important that parents feel comfortable, and he's wonderful with people," Bent said,

After two weeks at his post, Damien said he's pleasantly surprised with how smoothly the year has kicked off . He credits the disaster-free start to a lot of help from AA Transportation as well as from his predecessor, Linda Sweet, who left to take a position with the Assabet Valley Collaboration.

A non-Shrewsbury native, Damien said the biggest challenge has been getting to know the layout of Shrewsbury streets and bus routes. Luckily for him, the district uses VersaTrans software, which can locate any street, house or bus stop in town. Damien credits this program for his survival over the past few weeks,

"You definitely wouldn't have wanted to call me two weeks ago to ask for directions, but I'm getting it down now," he said.

Damien is a graduate of St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School in Fitchburg and Essex Agricultural and Technical Institute in Hawthorne.

Prior to coming to Shrewsbury, Damien worked as a driver and operations manager at J.H. McCarthy Limousine Service in Leominster, the general manager of Donahue Limousine Service in Leominster and the transportation coordinator at Overlook Masonic Health Center in Charlton.

He lives in Charlton Depot with his three Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Wesley, Elroy and Scooter.