May 8, 2024

RTD honors Holocaust Days of Remembrance this week

Diversity Spotlight celebrates the diversity of RTD employees and the larger community that RTD serves and fosters an appreciation of our social and cultural similarities and differences. Diversity Spotlight supports RTD’s values of passion, respect, diversity, trustworthiness, collaboration and ownership.

Holocaust Days of Remembrance Week serves as the United States' annual Holocaust memorial, established by Congress alongside the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Holocaust, perpetrated by Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, primarily targeted European Jews, resulting in the deaths of 6 million individuals. Additionally, other marginalized groups, including individuals with disabilities and political dissidents, also suffered under the regime.

In memoriam: Joseph Maestas and Stephanie Rivera

Transit Watch app debuted 10 years ago this week

On May 6, 2014, RTD launched the Transit Watch app to enable customers to be partners in safety by discreetly and anonymously reporting suspicious and unsafe activities. The app, available in English and Spanish, is free for use on both Apple and Android smartphones.

RTD introduces AANHPI wrapped bus

Bus design contest to commemorate 60th Civil Rights Act anniversary

Through May 24, RTD is calling upon individuals to submit vibrant, one-of-a-kind entries for bus design artwork as part of the agency’s celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and other achievements to bring about equity, accessibility and fairness. The winning design will be selected in early June.

As of Sunday, RTD-PD has begun overnight coverage

On Sunday, RTD’s Transit Police Department implemented 24/7 police coverage. To mark the occasion, Deputy Chief Glyn Horn, at right, shared a photo of the team involved. He wrote, “This milestone ensures RTD-PD has representation no matter the hour. As I type this message well after 3 a.m., the night shift team is not only actively responding to calls, but they are extremely proactive in their policing efforts. Their radio traffic has increased with each passing hour, demonstrating their commitment to achieving our goals.” The overnight team is led by Sgt. Fabian Navarrete-Rodriguez, second from right. Also pictured, from left to right, are Cmdr. Broderick Fowler, Officer Benjamin Sims, Officer Keith Cambra, Sgt. Erick Roque, Officer Brian Beary and Officer Jeremy Sagner.

Members of Team RTD prepare for Colfax Marathon relay

In preparation for the May 19 Colfax Marathon relay, members of both RTD teams of runners hit the pavement at High Line Canal over the weekend to get their stamina up for the race. Taking part, from left to right, were bus operator trainee Jonathan Mills, Transit Police Officer (and team captain) Jamie Green, Light Rail Storeroom Supervisor (and team captain) Brett Ryals, Civil Engineer IV Brian Thye, General Superintendent of Maintenance Sangman Yoon and Maintenance/Sign Out Clerk Taylor Cunningham. To find the best location to cheer on all 10 RTD runners on race day, click here to view a map provided by race organizers.

Delivered today: 26 bins of goods collected in donation drive

April’s agencywide donation drive was a huge success. Thank you to all employees for giving generously and working as a team to make this initiative a reality. A total of 26 bins of donations were gathered and delivered today to benefit Bienvenidos Food Bank and Gateway Domestic Violence Services. Communications and Engagement provided RTD transit brochures alongside the donations.

The thoughtfulness and intention of each donation was inspiring. Items included a variety of gluten-free foods, ethnic cuisine, ready-made meals, an abundance of personal hygiene products, and even two bags of dog food for pets welcomed by Gateway Domestic Violence Services.

If you are interested in helping Communications and Engagement coordinate similar efforts in the future, please contact Betsy Hinojosa at betsy.hinojosa@rtd-denver.com.

Employees create Star Wars-themed video for Transit Watch

In celebration of May 4, Star Wars Day, employees from Communications and Engagement, and Light Rail Transportation came together to film a fun Star Wars-themed video at Elati last month. Click the link below to watch it!

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.

Talent acquisition partner uses bilingual abilities to make onboarding easy for Spanish-speaking new hires

I would like to acknowledge and appreciate talent acquisition partner Jesús Quiñónez. Jesús is bilingual and participates in our orientation classes to help our new employees who have Spanish as their first language navigate the process of onboarding. Thank you, Jesús, for helping to create a welcoming environment.  

> Read more <

5 years

Carlos Silva

Business Intelligence Developer

Seraphim Dibble 

Division Supervisor

Henry Hendricks 

LRT Division Supervisor

Thierry Mwami    

Bus Operator

Alemayehu Seifu 

Bus Operator

Isaiah Barela      

Custodian/Public Facilities Maintenance

William Glassman

Senior EEO Specialist

Don Wood  

Budget Analyst III

Miheret Bedani   

Bus Operator

Cesar Escobedo   

Bus Operator

Sean Feldon        

Conductor, Commuter Rail

Dominic Manzanares    

Bus Operator

Susan Rainey      

Street Supervisor

Hayden Young    

Bus Operator

Glenn Richardson

Body Mechanic, Body Shop

10 years

Derrick Mitchell  

Train Operator

Kristin Maloney   

Bus Operator

Charlotte Walton

Bus Operator

Daniel Yazzie      

Bus Instructor / Bus Operator

Michael LaFrance

Electro Mechanic LRV

Ellis Wilder

Service Person

15 Years

Lonnie Giles        

Bus Operator

Terry Vicek

Undercover Ride Monitor

20 years

Kenneth Pennington    

Equipment Maintenance Supervisor

George Vandorpe

General Repair Certified Mechanic

25 years

Marco Castro      

Bus Operator

Gary Tucker        

Track Maintainer

Larry Yeager       

Technician, Collections

Menghua Xiao     

Senior ERP Developer

Bobby Cortez      

Electro Mechanic LRV

30 years

Paul Trujillo        

Dispatcher

Steven Gade       

Maintenance / Sign Out Clerk

Robin Labella      

Division Supervisor

Ernesto Perez     

Quality Control Inspector

Lisa Gonzales      

Supervisor, Service & Cleaning

40 years

Mark Deay-Reusch            

Unit Shop Certified Technician

Mitchell Decent                  

Unit Shop Technician

Harry Riddle                        

Supervisor, Equipment Maintenance

Career Advancements

Frank Vidergar

Technician, Service Monitoring* (formerly Service Monitor)

Roderick Slayton

Street Supervisor* (formerly Bus Operator)

Matthew Adams

Supervisor, Body Shop* (formerly Body Mechanic, Body Shop)

Jamie Beauregard

Division Customer Care Liaison (formerly Sales/Information Representative)

Ashley Price

Lead Public Safety Dispatcher (formerly Public Safety Dispatcher)

Danielle Vargas

Lead Public Safety Dispatcher (formerly Public Safety Dispatcher)

*denotes represented to non-represented transfer

Any employees interested in similar opportunities in the future should visit the Careers page on Workday.

Thank you for taking the time to make your voice heard! Over 1,000 employee survey responses have been received. In addition to completing the survey, many individuals contributed to another year of successful participation by helping out at events, spreading the word and collecting paper surveys. Results will be shared agencywide in the coming months. 

Wellness hosting two mental health webinars this month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, dedicated to raising public consciousness about mental health issues, reducing stigma, and promoting resources for support and treatment. Established to prioritize mental well-being on a global scale, the monthlong initiative fosters dialogue, education and advocacy surrounding mental health challenges. Jennifer Alfonso, Clinical Director of Anger Management Techniques, will lead two webinars hosted by RTD’s Wellness and Benefits Division this month to provide employees with tools and tips to increase their mental health, as well as resources that can offer assistance in a mental health crisis. Click the link below to learn more and register.

Employees honor Mexican heritage in Cinco de Mayo parade

On Saturday, RTD team members marched alongside lowrider cars, dance groups, and nonprofit and business organizations to celebrate culture and community in Denver’s Cinco de Mayo parade. Fourteen individuals from Bus and Rail Operations, Legal Counsel, Transit Police and Communications and Engagement marched in front of RTD’s parade bus holding signs and flags promoting transit. Wrapped in a colorful decal depicting the diversity of RTD’s customers, the parade bus has been in several parades since its introduction in March 2023.

For the Cinco de Mayo parade, RTD introduced a new element – music! Bus Maintenance replaced the bike rack on the front of the parade bus with a custom-built shelf for two portable speakers. Inside the vehicle, Assistant General Superintendent of Street Operations John Albo played a compilation of music that inspired members of the crowd to dance and sing as RTD marchers walked past. The parade was followed by a festival of food trucks, Chihuahua races and a taco-eating contest for over 400,000 visitors to Civic Center Park. 



June will see RTD team members participating in the Juneteenth (June 15) and Pride (June 23) parades. Information about how to join these celebrations will be included in future editions of Inside Connections.

Participate in Commerce City Memorial Day Parade with RTD

Join RTD on Monday, May 27, to march through Commerce City for the annual Memorial Day parade to honor those who sacrificed for our nation. The parade hosts more than 100 entries, including antique and classic cars, motorcycles, floats, horses, bands and marching units. Click the link below to learn more.

Civil Rights to host open houses this spring and summer

The Civil Rights Division’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) office will host open house events May 28-July 11 with Bus Operations, N Line Commuter Rail Operations, Light Rail Operations, Customer Care and Contracted Services to answer operators’ questions, address their concerns and identify ADA-related issues that operators are experiencing.

Dialogue with Debra is May 16 at N Line MOW

Join RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson and guest panelists from RTD Leadership at 9 a.m. May 16 at N Line Maintenance of Way (8215 Steele St., Thornton) as they discuss the latest happenings within the agency.

Questions can be emailed in advance to generalmanager@rtd-denver.com.

Can’t make it to the in-person event? It will be livestreamed via Zoom for employees and broadcast on all agency public information displays. Click the link below to learn more.

Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project fact sheet available on the Hub

Frontline colleagues, are you wondering how the upcoming Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project will affect your work? Get up to speed by downloading the fact sheet and FAQs below. Paper copies can be found at all divisions.

Signal traction power maintainer's career shift featured on 'Marketplace'

Although the April national jobs report released last week came in weaker than expected, some industries made gains, notably transportation. As American Public Media’s “Marketplace” reported on Tuesday’s show, the transit and ground passenger transportation sector added more than 20,000 jobs since April 2023. This has been good news for RTD signal traction power maintainer Liz Young, who previously worked as an actuarial analyst and wanted to try something new. On the “My Economy” segment of the show, Young speaks to the happiness and financial stability he has found in his new role. “I get so much joy from doing this job,” he said. To listen to yesterday’s full episode of “Marketplace,” which features Young’s comments around 22:15, click here.

From Cybersecurity: Taking security awareness home

Given the landscape of ongoing security threats, RTD, like most organizations, requires employees to take routine awareness training. It is also vital to remember that security threats extend far beyond the workplace. Scammers don’t mind getting personal. They’ll target anyone anywhere, not just organizations. That’s why applying awareness training concepts to personal life is a good idea.

RTD Solicitations

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

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

— Leonard Cohen

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