The award was presented by Bill Collins of Element Fleet Management, the award sponsor.

Ross Jackson Jr., fleet manager for the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was named the 2026 Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year during the Honors Celebration at the 2026 Government Fleet Expo & Conference in Long Beach.

The award was presented by Bill Collins of Element Fleet Management, the award sponsor.

A panel of judges, consisting of fleet managers from around the country, reviewed each candidate in categories including business plan, technology implementation, productivity, policies, preventive maintenance program, utilization management, replacement program, customer service, fuel management, and safety. 

This year's two finalists were:

• Eric Winterset, Fleet Services Manager, Financial Management | Fleet Services Bureau, City of Long Beach, California
• Jeffery Shepard, Director, Fleet Management, City of Tallahassee, Florida