Chief Communications and Engagement Officer to depart RTD next month | |
In an email to all employees today, General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson announced that Chief Communications and Engagement Officer Stuart Summers will be stepping down from his role on Friday, April 17.
Johnson noted the strong foundation Summers helped to establish since his arrival in December 2022. He “has been an invaluable member of the organization, leaning in to lead several important initiatives that have increased brand awareness, bolstered internal and external engagement, and improved the customer experience,” she wrote. These include efforts to establish RTD’s Impact Team, create employee-facing digital communications, develop a multi-faceted customer experience plan, launch a new website, and communicate several unplanned service disruptions and capital projects.
An interim reporting structure for the department’s functional areas will take effect April 17. The divisions of Community Engagement, Communications and Public Relations, and Marketing will report to John McKay, Chief of Staff. The Customer Care Division will report to Patrick Preusser, Chief Operations Officer. These changes will remain in place until further notice. The Market Development unit will permanently report to Chief Financial Officer Kelly Mackey and become part of the Finance Department’s fare revenue team.
|
| RTD launches Comprehensive Operational Analysis to shape future of transit service across the region | |
The Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) is an 18-month, districtwide effort to evaluate how transit service should evolve to meet the region’s current and future needs.
This planning initiative will assess RTD’s entire network, including bus, rail, demand-response, and paratransit services. The effort will present a short-range service plan aligned with RTD’s projected resources for 2028 to 2032, as well as a long-range vision informed by population growth, land usage, and travel trends across the Denver metro region.
Click the link below to learn more about the COA.
| | In memoriam: Bruce Fears, General Landscaper | | | | |
RTD mourns the death of landscaper Bruce Fears, who died March 7.
Fears began his career at RTD in July 2023, joining the Capital Programs Department as a general landscaper. In a memo sent Monday to all employees, Chief People Officer Lili Tran noted Fears’ sense of humor, positivity, and reliability, as well as his love of sports — especially the Green Bay Packers.
| | To speak with someone about this loss, call RTD’s Employee Assistance Program at 1.800.284.1819. Employees in Capital Programs are invited to contact Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Stephen Gonzales (stephen.gonzales@rtd-denver.com). All impacted employees are encouraged to reach out to their supervisor, mentor, or another member of management for assistance. |
| |
|
At last night’s monthly meeting, the Board of Directors approved the June 2026 service changes and the associated Title VI Service Equity Analysis. Additionally, the Board adopted amendments to the Board Operating Guidelines regarding public comment and meeting efficiency, took a support position on House Bill 26-1101 regarding criminal offenses related to critical infrastructure metals, and approved taking a monitor position on House Bill 26-1269 related to transit access.
Other items the Board passed included approving General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson to enter into a contract with Motor Coach Industries to purchase five 45-foot over-the-road coaches; appointing Greg Smith, Deputy Chief Operations Officer, Bus Operations, to the Salaried Employee Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trust, as well as the Salaried Employee Defined Contribution Retirement Plan Trust; authorizing a review of monthly service payment requests submitted by Denver Transit Partners/Denver Transit Operators for operations and maintenance of the B and G lines from 2020 to present; and approving a summary scope of work for consulting services for a public opinion polling consultant.
Click the thumbnail above to watch the meeting.
|
| At Women’s History Month panel today, staff led discussion about how women are shaping the future of transportation | | |
Earlier today in the paint bay at District Shops, Manager of Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering Jessica Guardia, Civil Rights Division Director Kellie Irving, and Director of Talent and Organizational Development Dr. Melissa McDowell participated in a panel discussion about the impacts women have had on the transportation industry and the ways they continue to shape its future. General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson moderated the discussion.
Topics the panelists explored included reinvention as leaders and how they navigated not losing a sense of self. The wide-ranging conversation touched on changing technologies, being adaptable, and leveraging teammates to solve problems.
"The world is ever-changing. There are constantly new things that are happening, new technologies that are coming out," McDowell said. One might not be skilled in AI, for example, “but what am I going to do to learn it? We have to be resilient, and we have to lean into those things and start to explore."
“Sometimes knowing your value is an exercise,” Irving said. “Knowledge, skills, abilities? We got that. But how are we going to come and be true to thyself?” At some point in your life, she added, you will find out what that means.
Guardia, who works within Information Technology, spoke to the perspective women bring to this male-dominated industry. “Work does not get done with just one sole person bringing all their authority,” she said. “It truly is a collective, and we all bring strength in that space.”
Stay tuned for a video recapping the panel in next week's Inside Connections.
| | Congratulations to the latest graduating class of colleagues! | |
Twenty-four operators, mechanics, and conductors were recognized at yesterday’s OneRTD Graduation Ceremony. Many family members, including several children, were in the audience to share in this special event. Congratulations to every new colleague entering service!
Click the thumbnail above to view a recording of yesterday's ceremony.
| | 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’s friendliness makes customer’s day | Operator Grace Ostler is just amazing! She is always very polite and willing to help everyone. She always greets all the passengers and says goodbye. | | Bus operator helps customer with loading bike onto rack | I want to put in a good word for my driver, Yosephe Alemu. There was another passenger who needed help with the bike rack, and the driver got out of his seat and helped him. | | Best Dressed Operator of the Week: Moses Silalahi | This week’s best dressed operator is Moses Silalahi from Boulder Division! Looking fresh, Moses! | | |
Bonita Alvidrez
Bus Operator
Biniam Drar
Bus Operator
Rubi Gomez
Bus Operator
Bewkete Misikir
Bus Operator
Daniel O’Donnell*
Bus Operator
Malak Ozuna
Bus Operator
Jamari Smith
Bus Operator
Abbasi Ssemwanga
Bus Operator
Eric Starks*
Bus Operator
Eliays Uregassa
Bus Operator
Cynthya Watkins
Bus Operator
Beamelak Zewdu
Bus Operator
Getieneh Alene
Bus Operator
Abdulbasit Batu
Bus Operator
Gregory Hohm
Bus Operator
Khandace Russell*
Bus Operator
Komi Camille Seshie
Bus Operator
Nathaniel Sullivan
Bus Operator
William Tapia
Bus Operator
Justin Barton
Train Operator
| | |
Michelle Braxton
Train Operator
Fawn Garcia-Aguilar
Train Operator
Kimba Kyambalesa
Train Operator
Soheil Mohammadzadeh Zarkesh
Train Operator
Jacob Williams
Train Operator
Del-Rey Arroyo
Train Operator
Firew Handiso
Train Operator
Jalyn Noel
Train Operator
Blake Spindle
General Repair Mechanic
Jason Parhams
Facilities Maintenance Mechanic
Jakkrit Vichiensal
Facilities Maintenance Mechanic
David Kenyon
Parts Clerk
Cody Rock
Parts Clerk
Abraham Garcia-Gomez
Body Shop Mechanic
Nicole Wheeler
Custodian, Public Facilities Maintenance
Kamariah Torain
Dispatcher
Kellie Irving
Civil Rights Division Director
Darius Ardrey
Transit Police Officer
Daniel Meunier
Transit Police Officer
| | | Provide your feedback and suggestions to Procurement | | |
As part of the Contracting and Procurement Division’s efforts to improve the delivery of procurement services, update processes, and enhance communications, the team seeks your feedback to inform its upcoming activities.
If you interact with RTD procurements or the Procurement team, please consider filling out a short internal procurement survey that should take no more than five minutes to complete. All responses will help the team identify and prioritize opportunities to make the purchasing process more efficient and clearer at RTD.
The survey will be open through April 3. Click the link below to take it.
| | From Talent Acquisition: Career assistance training will be available Tuesday at Blake Street | |
The Talent Acquisition team is hosting an in-person career assistance training session 7 a.m.-noon Tuesday in Conference Room T&D at Blake Street. Members of the team will be available to assist RTD employees with creating and refining their resumes, provide tips for applying to job postings and approaching the screening process, discuss tips for answering interview questions, and review other best practices to stand out among candidates.
Thirty-minute one-on-one consulting sessions with members of the team are available. Click the link below to book a session. When signing up, please leave a comment about desired areas of assistance, whether it be resume review, application tips, or interviewing advice.
Employees unable to attend the event are encouraged to email the Talent Acquisition team (talentacquisitionpartners@groups.rtd-denver.com) to reserve a session at a desired date and time. Direct any other questions to the team via this email address.
| | | Select manager-level positions in the Operations Department will be posted internally Friday to the Internal Jobs Hub on Workday. Click the link below to view open positions. |
| From Cybersecurity: How browser extensions are used to scam victims | Adding extensions to an internet browser can improve usability and lead to a better browsing experience. Unfortunately, cybercriminals will take advantage of this fact and can use browser extensions to hack into victims’ accounts and steal their sensitive information. Cybercriminals can create fake extensions that look legitimate and even spoof real extensions. These scams can be hard to spot. Continue reading to learn more about different types of scam extensions and how to spot them. | | From Benefits: Empower advisor to visit 711 building next week | |
RTD's new Empower Retirement plan advisor, Clayton Faber, will visit the 711 building 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 1.
Faber will be available for one-on-one counseling with personalized account services at no cost to employees, covering topics such as retirement plan enrollment, contributions, retirement readiness, investment choices, account reviews, comparison of different plans, rollovers, and a review of the tools offered by Empower for retirement planning and tracking.
Can't make it? Click the link below to set up a private consultation.
| | |
|
The first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament, commonly known as March Madness, have wrapped up. After four days of heartbreaking upsets and Cinderella stories, a clear leader has been established in the RTD College Basketball Tournament Bracket Challenge, with a three-way tie for second place and a five-way tie for third place. Take a look at how the top 10 shaped up in the RTD bracket challenge, with their title picks, once the dust settled from the first two rounds:
-
Kyle Cizenski (510 points, University of Arizona)
-
Kyle Mahanes (490 points, University of Arizona)
-
John Grygorcewicz (490 points, Duke University)
-
Brad Maier (490 points, Duke University)
-
Nick Campbell (470 points, University of Arizona)
-
Erica Reynolds (470 points, University of Arizona)
-
Tami Redmond (470 points, University of Michigan)
-
Andrew Mahn (470 points, University of Michigan)
-
Austin Nettleton (470 points, University of Illinois)
-
Jenea Covington-Davis (460 points, University of Houston)
With the Sweet 16 beginning tomorrow, will the multi-way stalemate for second and third place finally break? Can Cizenski hold on to the lead? Check back next week for the results from the third and fourth rounds!
|
| RTD has a number of solicitations currently underway at the agency 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. | | | | Debra's Quote of the Week | |
"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."
— Charlotte Brontë
| |
| What did you think of this edition of Inside Connections? | | | | |
Need to report a concern with a vehicle, bus route, rail line or customer facility? Fill out the OneRTD Care Reporting Form by clicking the link below. |
| Disclaimer: Please do not click the unsubscribe button. You will miss out on important information about the agency and be resubscribed. | | | | |
