Denver RTD names new chief operating officer

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver, Colorado, has named transit veteran Michael Ford its new chief operating officer (COO), a new position created to oversee all of the agency’s bus and rail operations.

As COO, Ford will oversee the assistant general managers of rail operations and bus operations. He will work with bus and train operators, mechanics, and support staff to ensure that the agency’s operations are reliable, safe, and clean.

Before joining RTD, Ford served as CEO of Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan, in Detroit; CEO of Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority; COO and assistant general manager of the San Joaquin Regional Transit District; and director of transportation operations and executive advisor to the general manager at TriMet, in Portland. He has also held positions with Community Transit, a public transit authority in the Seattle metropolitan area, and Greyhound.

Ford earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and philosophy from Pacific University and an MBA from City University of Seattle.