Longtime public transit leader Omega Hawkins has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Transit Association, presented in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation. The honor recognizes individuals who have made a lasting impact on public transportation across the state, and it caps off more than four decades of work by Hawkins to expand transit access throughout North Central Texas.
Hawkins began her career in 1974 as a bus driver for the Dallas County Nutrition Program. Five years later, in 1979, she launched a senior transportation and meals program right here in Seagoville, a project that would go on to shape transit services across the region for generations to come.
That early program eventually grew into Kaufman County Senior Citizens Services and Kaufman Area Rural Transit, known locally as KART. Under Hawkins’ continued leadership, KART evolved into what is now STAR Transit, expanding into multiple counties and introducing demand response service to reach riders who needed it most, including seniors, individuals with disabilities, and residents of rural communities.
Hawkins also guided the agency through a major funding overhaul following the 2010 census, securing continued local support and keeping service running without relying on tax revenue, a significant achievement for a regional transit system.
She retired as Executive Director in 2019 but remained active with the organization, serving on the STAR Transit Board through 2024. Today, the agency she helped build provides more than 235,000 rides every year to residents across the region.
“Omega’s impact on public transit in Texas is significant,” said Tommy Henricks, STAR Transit Executive Director, according to a statement from the Texas Transit Association. “Her leadership built a system that continues to serve communities across the region every day.”
The Distinguished Service Award is considered one of the highest honors given by the Texas Transit Association and TxDOT, reserved for individuals whose long term leadership has left a measurable mark on public transportation in Texas. For Seagoville, Hawkins’ recognition is a reminder that a program that started small, right here in our own community, went on to change how thousands of North Texans get where they need to go.
