Kitsap Transit’s 2025 Drivers of the Year
From left to right: ACCESS Driver of the Year Damien Sabado; Routed Driver of the Year Marvin Jackson; and Worker/Driver of the Year Lindsey Skelly.
If you’ve set foot on a Routed, ACCESS or Worker/Driver bus at any time in the last two decades, chances are you encountered one of Kitsap Transit’s 2025 Drivers of the Year. Between the three of them, they have driven buses for more than 46 years, helping countless riders get where they need to go.
We’re proud to honor our 2025 Drivers of the Year: Routed operator Marvin Jackson, ACCESS operator Damien Sabado, and Worker/Driver operator Lindsey Skelly.
Our winners' contributions go beyond simply operating a bus: They’re former riders, driver mentors, and Roadeo competitors, whose depth and breadth of experience are respected and valued by everyone at Kitsap Transit.
“It’s an honor to be named Driver of the Year by your peers, and all three of our winners this year are incredibly deserving,” Kitsap Transit Executive Director John Clauson said. “Their talent and dedication make Kitsap Transit better every day.”
Routed Driver of the Year Marvin Jackson.
A long-time Routed driver, driver mentor, and Navy veteran, Jackson has been a familiar face to Kitsap Transit riders for more than two decades. Since starting at KT in September 2002, Jackson has been named Driver of the Month seven times, Driver of the Year twice, and in August 2025 celebrated 21 years of safe driving.
Jackson said he was surprised when he won Driver of the Year – members of his family and church surprised him at the ceremony on Jan. 28. He’s only the fourth Routed operator to win multiple Driver of the Year awards.
“It almost put tears in my eyes,” Jackson said.
Kitsap Transit’s driver mentors are responsible for helping train new operators. Jackson became a driver mentor a year-and-a-half into his tenure, meaning that most Kitsap Transit drivers working for the agency today have been trained by him at some point. He’s even been tasked with training outside agencies on driving large vehicles, including the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management.
“When [a trainee] gets the keys to the bus and goes solo, I get my accolades, I pat myself on the back because we did that,” Jackson said. “Not just me, but us mentors, the team did this.”
“I am thrilled when that happens.”
Sabado’s record of safe driving and mentoring is similarly extensive – he mentored each of Kitsap Transit’s 2025 Drivers of the Month. This is Sabado’s third Driver of the Year award since he started in 2011, the most of any ACCESS operator in Kitsap Transit’s history.
“It feels great to be recognized, for sure,” Sabado said.
Watching drivers he has trained successfully get their Commercial Drivers’ License and move on to become safe and effective operators is one of the highlights of the job, Sabado said.
“Watching them progress definitely makes me feel good,” he said. “They appreciate me, and I appreciate them, and we all do a good job trying to get [riders] to where they need to go.”
ACCESS Driver of the Year Damien Sabado.
Sabado is a third-generation Kitsap Transit operator: His mother, Val Quill, is Kitsap Transit’s longest-tenured driver, and his grandmother worked for KT in its earliest days. But his accolades stand on their own. In addition to three Driver of the Year awards, Sabado has been named Driver of the Month eight times and received his 14-year safe driving award (which marks years of driving without a preventable accident) in March 2025.
“It’s definitely a remarkable feeling to help out the community,” he said.
Lindsey Skelly, KT’s Worker/Driver of the Year, continues the trend of repeat winners. This is her second Driver of the Year Award since she started in 2016.
“The fact that my fellow drivers felt that I was deserving of this award for the second time in my relatively short career is beyond words,” Skelly said. “It is an incredible honor, and I will continue to keep helping out wherever I can.”
Skelly rode Worker/Driver buses to her job at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard before fellow passengers convinced her to switch to the operator’s seat. Since then, she’s been named Driver of the Month five times, assists with Worker/Driver logistics, and occasionally helps cover radio duties.
Congratulations to all three of our Drivers of the Year! Thank you for your dedication, hard work, and commitment to serving our riders every day.
Worker/Driver of the Year Lindsey Skelly.