The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD)’s Board of Directors approved a contract for Paul Ballard to be the agency’s interim GM/CEO. Ballard will begin his role no later than February 26.

The Board approved an annualized salary of $350,000 and customary RTD benefits including relocation expenses, in alignment with RTD’s policy for executive management.

“We look forward to Mr. Ballard bringing his years of experience to RTD as we navigate through this important transitional year for the agency,” RTD Board Chair Angie Rivera-Malpiede said. “The process for finding the permanent general manager and CEO begins now and we are committed to finding the right person who can lead RTD into the future.”

The RTD Board is seeking an executive search firm to oversee the national search for a permanent GM/CEO.

Ballard retired in April 2019 as CEO from Trinity Metro, which serves the city of Fort Worth, Texas, and its suburbs. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Nashville MTA and Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee. Over more than four and a half decades, Ballard has served as a GM, CEO or president of public- and private-sector transit systems.