ADA Office announces first honorees for Anne Hillyer Award for Integrity | | |
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The ADA Office in RTD’s Civil Rights Division is proud to announce the establishment of the Anne Hillyer Award for Integrity – and the first honorees to be recognized in her name.
The Anne Hillyer Award for Integrity honors RTD’s first ADA Investigator and Specialist. Hillyer started in the role with the inception of the ADA Office in 2015, and she served for six years before dying of cancer in 2021.
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Hillyer was an attorney, an LA Raiders fan and a devoted aunt; she dedicated herself to serving the community of people with disabilities and never stopped being an advocate for equity. She was deeply committed to making customers’ lives better through connections. | |
EEO training to be offered in Spanish | Starting next month, the equal employment opportunity (EEO) training required of all RTD employees will be offered in Spanish, a decision made as investigators have recognized that Spanish speakers are more comfortable discussing cases and learning about rights and responsibilities in their preferred language. | |
RTD-PD adds K-9 units to enhance safety efforts | The Transit Police Department (RTD-PD) on Nov. 25 added two new K-9 units to its force to bolster patrols for customer, employee and community safety. The police dogs’ training spanned 10 weeks working with RTD-PD officers and K-9 handlers Michael Arroyo, paired with Labrador Kylo, and Joe Rodocker, paired with Belgian Malinois Rayne. A third K-9, Belgian Malinois Koa, is assigned to officer and handler Keith Cambra, and will join the department Dec. 20. The addition of these police dogs brings the total of K-9 units to four by year end, including Belgian Malinois Milo, who joined RTD-PD in August 2023 and is assigned to officer and K-9 handler Corey Averill. | |
Click the thumbnail above to learn more about RTD Gives. | |
Employees on Saturday will have the opportunity to greet customers alongside the staged winter parade bus to accept in-kind donations benefiting A Precious Child, the nonprofit recipient of the RTD Gives donation drive. Employees will also provide RTD information, pass out candy canes and engage with the community. Volunteers are still needed in the afternoon at Littleton•Downtown Station. | |
Employees have until Sunday to donate new, unused winter clothing items for children and adults for this drive. Items can be dropped in donation boxes placed in common areas at all RTD facilities. | |
Board grants contract extension to General Manager and CEO | |
At a special Board meeting yesterday, the Board of Directors adopted an amendment to the General Manager and CEO’s employment agreement to extend the term of the contract for 18 months, through May 8, 2027. Click the thumbnail to watch the meeting. | |
Welcome to RTD's newest employees | Thirty-two employees joined the agency at Monday’s orientation. Welcome aboard! We are glad you are here. | |
RTD participates in 2024 9News Parade of Lights | |
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On Saturday, 12 RTD team members marched alongside the winter parade bus to celebrate the holiday season during the 9News Parade of Lights. Marchers kept warm in the cool night with their RTD-branded sweaters and scarves, designed by Graphic/Web Designer Travis McCain. The bus was covered in a special wrap resembling the pattern on the holiday sweaters, lit up with dozens of lights as it navigated the two-mile parade route through downtown Denver. Team members cheered and waved to thousands of parade attendees while dancing to classic and modern holiday hits.
This year was the 50th anniversary of the Parade of Lights, which featured more than 40 floats and marching units.
The Parade of Lights was RTD’s final parade of the year. In 2024, RTD team members marched in six local parades. Interested in joining the fun in 2025? Keep an eye out for parade invites and other requests for participation by reading Inside Connections and checking out the Employee and Community Engagement page on the Hub.
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Sixteen bus operators graduate from training | On Friday, RTD celebrated the graduation of 16 bus operators at District Shops as they entered service this week. From left to right and starting with the front row, they are: Nyasia Spruell, Russ Pouliot, Armando Irasaba, Maxwell Olivia, Jerimiah Espinoza-Young and Andargia Dagmawi; second row: Yidnekachew Antokin, Bereket Weldu, Edwinn Lee, Amilio Contreras and Yonas Getnet; and third row: Darian Craft, Samuel Abate, David Olvera, Namgyel Wangchuk and Tavares Johnson. | |
RTD-PD celebrates graduation of recruits from academy | On Friday, seven Transit Police recruits graduated from the Flatrock Regional Training Center. Pictured from left to right, they are: Christopher McMahon, Anthony Rosas, Victor Renteria, Nate Larkin and Alejandro Alvarado. They are joined by RTD Transit Police Lt. Andrew Cross (far left) and Transit Police Cmdr. Jonathan Holloway (far right). | |
Every day across the Denver metro area, RTD employees are making lives better through connections. The agency is proud to spotlight our exceptional workforce who go above and beyond in their roles and embody RTD’s core values. Join us in celebrating colleagues who personify the values of passion, respect, diversity, trustworthiness, collaboration and ownership. | |
Bus operator recognized for positivity, professionalism on route | |
I just want to give massive recognition to your operator, Shawn Hughes. His professionalism and humor over the loudspeaker were fantastic. He announced every stop along Broadway in English and Spanish. This is a challenging route to drive, but he went out of his way to help everyone. I hope he sees this.
> Read more <
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Bus operator holds bus for customers coming from late transfer | |
Tafere Noah is always very friendly to everyone. His customer service skills are awesome. I transferred to the Route 0 bus on Saturday morning. I thought I would miss it because my first bus was running a bit late. Tafere saw us pull into the station and knew there would be a few of us that needed to go downtown.
> Read more <
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5 years
Jim Neff
Paratransit Quality Assurance Supervisor
Corey Averill
Transit Police Officer
Sean Heraty
Lead Public Safety Dispatcher
Fredrick Holtzmann
Bus Operator
Thomas Leo
Signal/Traction Power Maintainer
Zerihun Tefera
Division Supervisor
Carlos Zamora
Bus Operator
Eduard Dorovskikh
General Repair Mechanic
Andrew Kamees
Equipment Maintenance Supervisor
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10 years
Jennifer Beauregard
Division Customer Care Liaison
Alan Pratt
ITS Systems Administrator
Luis Gallego
Train Operator
Valerie Padilla
Pass Production Administrator
Dylan Taylor-Pensado
Service Worker
Leroy Velasquez
Service Worker
15 years
Melaku Taye
Bus Operator
25 years
James Petty
Train Operator
35 years
Julie Delaney
Telephone Information Center Supervisor
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From Safety and Environmental: Indoor air quality studies occurring at multiple facilities | At the request of multiple operating divisions at RTD, the Safety and Environmental Department has collaborated with agency working groups and industrial hygienist Foothills Environmental Inc. (FEI) to establish an indoor air quality testing schedule for areas identified within facilities that may pose a risk to employees. | |
From Cybersecurity: Staying safe while shopping online | During the holiday season, you may receive emails or text messages about an unbeatable deal or an opportunity to donate to unrecognized charities. Sadly, during this season of giving, scammers use tactics like asking victims to click on a link that installs malware on their devices or creating a fake online store to trick victims into buying from them, resulting in money or even one’s identity being stolen. | |
Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest submissions open through Monday | Grab the ugliest holiday-themed sweater you can find and enter RTD’s annual Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest, open to individuals and teams! Employees are encouraged to submit a photo of themselves in their ugliest sweaters for a chance to win prizes and bragging rights. Click the link below to enter. | |
Employees: Tell us about a holiday tradition that you enjoy | |
Going out of town? Spending time with family? Heading up to the slopes? Cutting down a tree? Share your holiday traditions and photos with us for a chance to be featured in the Dec. 18 issue of Inside Connections! Send submissions to insideconnections@rtd-denver.com no later than Monday, Dec. 16. | |
From Safety and Environmental: November facility safety report now available on the Hub | In November, safety inspections were conducted at Platte, Boulder, Elati and District Shops, focusing primarily on electrical safety, fall protection, compressed gas cylinders and stairways. While additional areas were assessed during the walk-through, these categories were the central focus. All assessed facilities earned passing scores in the 80% range. A detailed scorecard with comprehensive findings is available on the Hub. | |
RTD has a number of solicitations currently underway or planned for the near future. To view and download current solicitations, see upcoming opportunities, and review pending and awarded contracts, follow the links below. | | |
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Debra's Quote of the Week | |
“Holidays – any holiday – are such a great opportunity to focus on bringing the family together.”
— Lidia Bastianich
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