Denver's RTD unveils 5 finalists for interim GM/CEO

The search for the Regional Transportation District (RTD)’s interim GM/CEO took a key step forward with the selection of five finalists by the agency’s board.

Current GM/CEO Dave Genova announced late last year that he would retire from RTD on Jan. 20, after 26 years of service with the agency. The process to select an interim leader began immediately thereafter. After this work concludes, the board plans to pursue a nationwide recruitment for a permanent leader.

From a pool of more than 40 applicants, the board selected five preliminary candidates to interview for the interim position. All five individuals were selected in accordance with search and selection requirements and were interviewed during a special board meeting. The board is moving all five forward as finalists out of transparency and to give the public a chance to weigh in.

The board has reached consensus that the following candidates are finalists for the interim GM/CEO position:

• Paul Ballard, former president and CEO, Trinity Metro: Ballard retired in April 2019 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.
• Amy Ford, director, Mobility on Demand Alliance: Ford is director of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America’s Mobility on Demand Alliance. She came to this role from the Colorado Department of Transportation, for which she was chief of advanced mobility and executive lead for the RoadX program.
• Michael Ford, RTD chief operations officer (COO): Ford joined RTD in January 2018 as COO and holds three decades of public and private transit experience in multiple states. 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 asst. GM of the San Joaquin (California) Regional Transit District; and director, transportation operations and executive advisor to the GM at TriMet, in Portland.
• Mike Meader, RTD chief safety and security officer: Meader joined RTD in August 2016 and brings more than 30 years of management experience. Prior to RTD, his leadership roles included director of transportation solutions for Qognify/NICE and VP, global accounts and safety programs, for CINTAS. Meader served as a pilot and safety officer with the U.S. Air Force.
• Jackie Millet, PE, mayor, City of Lone Tree: Millet has served the City of Lone Tree as mayor for four years and eight years prior as city council member and mayor pro-tem. Prior to that, she served as a planning commissioner. She is a registered civil engineer as well as chair-elect and a board member of the Denver Regional Council of Governments of which she has been a part for 10 years.

The board can choose to conduct additional interviews if it chooses. RTD can make an offer of employment to the selected finalist within the next two weeks, after announcing the list of finalists.

During the two-week waiting period, the public can provide comments to the RTD Board by contacting their RTD Board member or the RTD Board Office.