Tremell Brown began his career at VIA as a bus operator in 1990 and worked to become Vice President of Safety, Training and System Security, a position he’s held for the past six years.

Brown is proud to champion causes that support people of color, both professionally and through his volunteer efforts with community organizations like the San Antonio Zulu Association. The SAZU is a nonprofit founded with the mission to assist the greater San Antonio community. It raises money for youth programs and scholarships with its signature “Taste of New Orleans” event held each year during Fiesta. The all-volunteer organization also provides for numerous philanthropic outreach programs that advocate community service.

Organizations like the SAZU exemplify VIA’s mission to connect the community. Brown points out a direct correlation between the two.

“At VIA we serve the community each and every day,” he said. “Being blessed with the opportunity to also serve the community in my personal life through various organizations galvanizes the importance of servant leadership.”

In his role as Marketing Chairman for the San Antonio Zulu Association, Brown is charged with being the megaphone in achieving its goals, which include providing college scholarships and development opportunities for emerging leaders in the San Antonio area.

Brown says it is vital to stay connected and attentive to the challenges and experiences that exist, as well as being available to listen closely for opportunities to better understand and help others.

“I view community service and involvement as a civic responsibility,” Brown said. “As a member of multiple philanthropic organizations, working hard to continuously create and elevate the opportunities that motivate others to reach greater potential and achievement is vital.”

He adds that while Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate, achievements and milestones should be recognized every month of the year.

“Encouraging and reminding members of the community to not only continue to dream bigger more often, but to also set bigger goals and then execute them well, will result in greater expectations to regularly reach greater accomplishments.” .

To be a VIA bus operator, one has to be focused and strong. And they have to care about the community we serve. Louis Howard’s life before signing on to be a VIA driver in 2011, prepared him well for the job.

Howard, an operator for 11 years, was a champion boxer who won the gold medal in the welterweight division at the 1983 Pan-American Games. He also is a former Golden Gloves champion who was an alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team. The St. Louis, Mo., native says his time in the boxing ring facilitated the transition to his new career and his dedication to mentoring young athletes.

“Boxing prepares you for a lot of what life throws at you. First off it builds confidence to believe you can do anything. It teaches you the mental toughness to fend off challenges and the discipline to attack them in the right frame of mind,” Howard said.

When he’s not behind the wheel of a VIA bus, he’s busy training youth and young adults in the ring, not because he wants them to be boxers, but because he believes the sport helps build strong character. Howard believes it’s important to teach youth, particularly young people in poor and minority communities, that they can have limitless opportunities.

“The confidence we build in the ring leads to better grades in the classroom,” he said. “And better grades lead to better opportunities. We don’t have anything stopping us but ourselves.”

Bonnie Prosser Elder has been a leader in transportation and community service in San Antonio for more than 25 years, serving numerous organizations and multiple boards with a focus on issues of interest to persons of color and other minorities.

The list of organization’s that count her as an esteemed member or patron is long and reflects her deep ties to the community and legal profession. They include the San Antonio Bar Association, San Antonio Black Lawyer’s Association, Texas Young Lawyers Association, San Antonio Young Lawyers Association, San Antonio Young Lawyers Association Bill of Rights Teaching Program, Leadership San Antonio, Governor’s Commission for Women, San Antonio Sports Foundation and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She is an active member of San Antonio Chapter-LINKS, Inc., Junior League of San Antonio, Texas Women’s Forum, and the American Public Transit Association Legal Affairs Committee.

She is a role model and mentor to women and young girls, has been recognized by Who’s Who in San Antonio, awarded the 2014 Friend of Sam Houston High School Community Award, identified by the National Diversity Council as one of the “Most Powerful and Influential Women of Texas,” selected as a Blackbook San Antonio awardee, and inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019.

Each association represents countless hours and resources invested in the community. And though she can claim many accolades for her work, Prosser Elder remains an example of a servant-leader.

“Giving back to the community is the rent you pay for the opportunity to live and participate in society,” Prosser Elder, VIA’s Senior Vice President of Legal and General Counsel, said. “But community service is not a Black History Month issue, it is an American issue we should all embrace 24/7, 365 days a year.”

Black History Month is an opportunity to focus on the experiences and contributions of Black and African American people as part of our shared American history.

“It is so much more than slavery, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King,” Prosser Elder said. “We should know and learn about the many other important figures in American history such as Katherine Johnson, Thurgood Marshall, Carole Anderson, Barbara Jordan, Claudette Colvin, Emmett Till and so many more.”

Tammy Sims says she can’t remember a time when she wasn’t serving. The retired airline attendant, who is originally from Ohio, started driving a bus at VIA 10 years ago and has used it as a platform to give back to the community.

“Driving the bus, you meet people and really get to know them,” Sims said. “I just want to bridge the gap between those riders and how they view our operators. I want them to know that we care and that we’re more than just a person that gets them from here to there.”

With that in mind, Sims, formed the Black Caucus Chapter of the Amalgamated Transit Union nearly four years ago. Its primary goal is to empower and advance people in the Black community by developing leaders, informing policy and promoting education. The Black Caucus raises scholarship money and serves underprivileged youth by providing clothing, school supplies and meals throughout the year.

“I love my job as an operator,” Sims said. “I see the importance of treating everyone fairly on a daily basis. There’s so much we can do to make that happen and for us in the Black Caucus there is a sense of pride knowing that we can accomplish little things like providing breakfast and snacks for school children who might not have something to eat that day.”