Welcoming David Katcher as COO and Tyler Baldwin as CRO

We are thrilled to announce two key additions to our executive team who will help drive our next phase of growth. David Katcher joins as our Chief Operating Officer and Tyler Baldwin as Chief Revenue Officer, bringing exceptional leadership experience that will accelerate our expansion to new markets and further strengthen our ability to provide opportunity for all through mobility. 

Katcher and Baldwin bring extensive leadership experience across transportation, care, and marketplace companies, and will help scale our operations and drive strategic initiatives to meet the evolving needs of schools, students, and families.  

Proven Leadership for the Next Phase of Growth

David Katcher joins HopSkipDrive after serving as COO at Rula, where he led a broad portfolio of go-to-market and operational teams. Under his leadership, Rula expanded from 11 markets to national coverage and launched several new service offerings. He previously held executive roles at Lyft and AvantStay, overseeing global operations and field teams of 600+ employees.

“I’m energized by HopSkipDrive’s mission to create mobility for all, and I’m excited to build the systems and services that allow us to scale with quality,” said Katcher. “Transportation is a gateway to opportunity, and we are here to make sure that access is never out of reach.”

Tyler Baldwin joins from CharterUP, where he served as CRO and led the revenue organization through a period of rapid growth, increasing gross bookings from $120M to over $200M. He has also served in executive roles at Reali and LinkedIn, building high-performing teams and launching scalable go-to-market strategies.

“I’m thrilled to help drive the next phase of growth for HopSkipDrive,” said Baldwin. “This is a company with demonstrated product-market fit, an inspiring mission, and a platform that truly makes a difference in communities. There’s a massive opportunity to support more school districts across the country, and we’re just getting started.”

Accelerating Innovation and District Partnerships

HopSkipDrive continues to enhance our platform and expand our reach to solve some of the most complex transportation challenges facing schools today. 

“David and Tyler are incredible leaders with a deep commitment to impact, and their expertise will be instrumental as we continue to grow and expand our footprint,” said Joanna McFarland, Co-Founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive. “Their appointments reinforce our focus on quality, safety, and service at scale as we partner with more districts and solve the complex challenges of student transportation.”

This exciting addition to our executive team follows a string of recent milestones, including new district partnerships, the launch of the new RouteWise AI™ planning platform to help schools optimize their transportation networks, and the announcement of new safety products, features, and initiatives.