The Regional Transportation District’s board of directors is positioned to announce the agency’s new interim general manager and CEO on Tuesday night.

“We expect a vote this evening dependent on contract negotiations,” RTD board chairwoman Angie Rivera-Malpiede told Colorado Politics.

RTD’s board of directors is considering five finalists – two internal and three external candidates – to replace outgoing general manager and CEO Dave Genova, who stepped down Jan. 20.

For the first time in its history, the agency sought community input in its selection of a new interim leader.

As of Jan. 16, Rivera-Malpiede said at least 130 responses had been anonymously submitted through an online survey. Up until 5 p.m. on Jan. 23, the board also solicited feedback by email and through individual RTD directors.

“We have heard very loud and clear that the community feels like RTD doesn’t communicate with them,” the newly elected chairwoman said in an earlier interview. “This is their transit system… We need to show the community that we want to do things differently and want to make sure their voices are at the table.”

Tonight, the board will meet in executive session to move forward with its decision-making process before the regularly scheduled board meeting. If a conclusion isn’t reached before the public meeting, executive session will resume afterward.

Whoever steps into the top spot, which could be permanently filled sometime between four and 14 months from now, will face the crossroads at which RTD stands.

The transit agency is in the middle of a two-year process, “Reimagine RTD,” an effort intended to “map the mobility of the future” and conceptualize a plan to address long-term transit needs with limited resources. 

This, and the numerous challenges it faces, from staff shortages and temporary service cuts to low ridership and budget slashes.

Despite Rivera-Malpiede’s acknowledgement of the hardships ahead, she maintains a positive outlook.

“There are so many opportunities” to rise, she said.