Justin Clupper

By Hillary Knipstein |

by Zack Kittaka

Justin Clupper is the newly appointed executive director of Community Transportation Network, a non-profit organization providing dependable and efficient transportation to ensure that no one left is left behind.

Community Impact

“Transportation is a significant barrier for much of our city and county, and we are working hard every day to fill that gap,” Clupper said. In fact, he anticipates that CTN will provide over 100,000 trips this fiscal year, by the end of June.

CTN also supports the transportation needs of more than 75 other organizations, serving an extremely diverse range of transportation needs--from seniors needing access to dialysis treatments and preschoolers needing transportation to a field trip, to individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities needing a ride to work.

His Path

Interest in improving transportation might be in Clupper’s blood-his grandfather helped launch Whitley County’s transit program. However, his own path to CTN was a winding one.

A Columbia City native, Clupper returned to Northeast Indiana after a brief post-college stint in Indianapolis. He joined Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana, built a community of professional friendships, and fell in love with Fort Wayne (despite insisting that he couldn’t wait to leave during his teenage years).

While working at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Clupper used CTN’s services to provide accessible transportation options for museum events. Later, a connection invited him to join CTN’s board of directors. By serving on the board, he began to better understand the community’s transportation needs.

“Transportation isn’t a sexy industry, but it is something that I recognized as a real challenge in our community.” he explained. “ I’m proud to say that because of CTN, thousands have been able to stay in their homes longer, experience greater independence longer and live longer.”

After his board service, Clupper was tapped as CTN’s executive director. He has big plans. In the short-term, he is working with his colleagues to update CTN’s strategic plan and analyze data on usage and trends to determine how to best serve the community.

“We’ve nearly doubled our impact over the last two years, largely due to the closure of many private transportation providers,” he said. “We need to understand how our partners anticipate growing and what new service lines we should be considering.”

His Inspiration

When asked what inspires him, Clupper named a few things: “ My wife, Jessica, was a big encourager for me to pursue this position and has been my number one cheerleader! My kids, Caroline and Dean, inspire me to build this community to be better for them.”

Clupper is also inspired by the good he and his colleagues at CTN have done in the community and the potential to do even more. a

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