Leadership Team
Meet RTD's experienced and dedicated Leadership Team.
Debra A. Johnson
General Manager and Chief Executive Officer
Debra A. Johnson is a person in the people business, a transit executive guided by the understanding that every decision she makes directly impacts the public’s ability to connect with opportunities that improve their lives. She was appointed General Manager and CEO of Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) by the agency’s Board of Directors on Aug. 25, 2020, becoming the first woman to lead the organization in its 52-year history.
Angel Peña
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Angel Peña is a bilingual, customer experience-focused, and results-driven transit executive with nearly 25 years of experience spanning both public and private sectors. Throughout his career, he has led teams and projects that transformed infrastructure, improved operational performance, and restored public trust in some of the nation’s most complex transit systems. As RTD’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Peña is responsible for advancing the agency’s vision for an operationally safe, reliable, and customer-centered transit system, while also strengthening relationships with customers, the community, and stakeholders.
His expertise in large-scale capital infrastructure renewal, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement—combined with his steadfast commitment to equity, safety and service reliability—has defined his career as a forward-thinking leader.
Patrick Preusser
Chief Operations Officer
Patrick Preusser joined RTD as its Chief Operations Officer in September 2025, bringing more than 28 years of leadership experience in major U.S. transit systems and international transit projects. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for building strong relationships, uniting diverse teams, and successfully guiding organizations through growth, change, and complex service environments.
Most recently, Preusser served as Chief Operating Officer for the Utah Transit Authority. He has also held senior leadership positions with the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro). Earlier in his career, he managed national passenger rail programs for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and contributed to international transportation projects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Kabul, Afghanistan.
Nationally, Preusser serves on the American Public Transportation Association’s Rail Transit Operating Practices Working Group and Bus Operations Committee. In 2022, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appointed him to the Transit Advisory Committee for Safety, which provides strategic safety guidance to the USDOT and the Federal Transit Administration. He has also participated in the Eno Center for Transportation’s Multi-Agency Exchange Program, collaborating with peers at RTD, LA Metro, Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority, and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.
Preusser holds master’s degrees in public administration from the University of Southern California and transportation management from the University of Denver, as well as a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix. As a certified Project Management Professional and Transit Safety and Security Professional, he is deeply committed to delivering safe, reliable, and well-managed transit services. His accomplishments have been recognized with numerous honors, including the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Foreign Service, Excellence, and Team Awards; the FRA’s Meritorious Achievement and Excellence Award; and recognition by Mass Transit magazine as one of its “Top 40 Under 40” in 2017.
Brett Feddersen
Chief Information and Technology Officer
Brett Feddersen became RTD’s Chief Information and Technology Officer in 2025, bringing more than two decades of experience advancing technology strategy and operations across government organizations. At RTD, he has led initiatives that strengthened cybersecurity, streamlined enterprise systems, and modernized service delivery. His leadership has included guiding a rapid digital response during the COVID-19 pandemic and launching an enterprise architecture program that improved internal IT customer satisfaction by 35 points.
Feddersen’s public service career includes serving as IT Director for Colorado’s Division of Wildlife, leadership roles within the Department of Natural Resources and the Colorado Department of Transportation, and Assistant Director of Application Services at the City of Boulder. He holds degrees from Colorado Mesa University and the University of Denver, along with Project Management Professional and Lean IT certifications, and is a graduate of the Eno/MAX Program. An accomplished author, Feddersen has written and coauthored several books designed to help individuals prepare for certification with both CompTIA and the Project Management Institute (PMI).
Kelly Mackey
Chief Financial Officer
Kelly Mackey is a strategic, results-driven finance executive with 22 years of experience, leading complex financial operations and organizational transformation. As Chief Financial Officer, she oversees the agency’s stewarding resources with fiscal integrity on behalf of more than 3,000 employees and advancing financial strategies that support RTD’s mission to make lives better through connections.
Mackey brings a robust and diverse background, highlighted by her 15-year tenure at Staples, where she held multiple leadership roles within the company’s B2B e-commerce distribution and delivery business. There, she led an 88-member team focused on operational execution, data-driven decision-making, and strategic planning for one of North America's largest private delivery networks. Her leadership produced measurable gains in financial discipline and operational efficiency across supply chain, customer experience, and field operations.
A Certified Public Accountant, Mackey is an alumna of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. She earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado Denver and graduated summa cum laude from Oral Roberts University with a Bachelor of Science in finance and a minor in Spanish. An avid runner, Mackey draws inspiration from the discipline and endurance of long-distance running—qualities that define her leadership approach at RTD.
Steve Martingano
Chief of Police and Emergency Management
Steve Martingano began his law enforcement career in 1992 with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Police Cadet Corp while attending St. John’s University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. After serving with NYPD and later the Arvada (Colorado) Police Department, he joined the Denver Police Department in 2004, where he worked across multiple districts and at Denver International Airport. During this time, he also worked 10 years for RTD in a secondary employment capacity, establishing the agency’s first plainclothes light rail team to address fare evasion.
In 2015, Martingano became a Transit Police Commander with RTD, and two years later was promoted to Deputy Chief of Police. Known for his community-based approach, he launched the first mental health co-responder unit in public transportation—a nationally recognized model for assisting people in crisis. Martingano was named RTD's Chief of Police and Emergency Management in May 2025.
Charlene Polege
Chief People Officer
Charlene Polege was named RTD's Chief People Officer in December 2022. A values-driven and servant leader, she has spent two decades helping mission-driven organizations unlock the potential of their employees by building resilient, engaged cultures rooted in shared purpose and aligned values.
Prior to joining RTD, she provided executive HR leadership at Canada's largest online research university, where she oversaw strategic HR planning, organizational development, culture and engagement, total rewards, employee and labor relations. She was also responsible for ensuring HR services were delivered efficiently, productively, inclusively, respectfully, and sustainably. Additionally, Polege has experience in the private sector, serving as the Vice President Human Resources/Privacy Officer for a leading hospitality company with more than 3,500 employees.
Polege holds a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis and Management, and certification in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University. She also holds a Senior Professional certification from the Society of Human Resources Management, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.
Melanie Snyder
General Counsel
Melanie Snyder has served as RTD’s General Counsel since June 2020, bringing more than two decades of legal experience in both the public and private sectors. In her role, she advises the General Manager and CEO and the elected Board of Directors, and oversees the Legal Services, Risk Management, and Information Governance Management divisions.
Previously, Snyder served as Chief Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Staff in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, managing the state’s largest law firm and providing legal and transactional counsel to executive and judicial branch agencies, boards, commissions, and elected officials. She also coordinated legal policy and ethics compliance, served as intergovernmental liaison, and directed civil investigations and litigation in collaboration with multistate and federal partners. Her work included enforcement of consumer protection, cybersecurity and data privacy, consumer credit, and antitrust laws. She has extensive expertise in business operations, process improvement, public relations, and community engagement. Earlier in her career, Snyder practiced commercial litigation at both large and boutique law firms in Denver. She holds a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and bachelor’s degrees in political science and psychology from the University of Arizona.
Stuart Summers
Chief Communications and Engagement Officer
Stuart Summers oversees all strategic communications, media and public relations, marketing, customer engagement, and community outreach at RTD. He was named the Chief Communications and Engagement Officer in 2022 and is specifically tasked with enhancing public perception and overall awareness.
Prior to assuming his role at RTD, Summers served as Associate Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Strategic Initiatives at Idaho State University. He spent 11 years overseeing the public research university’s marketing and communications, bolstering campus events and traditions, and supporting the institution’s strategic plan priorities. Summers is a former morning show anchor and reporter for an NBC affiliate in Idaho. Summers spent two years volunteering as an English teacher in Mongolia, where he taught at a career and technical college near the Russian border. In addition to being an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructor, he also speaks Mongolian fluently.
Dave Jensen
Deputy Chief Operations Officer, Rail Operations
Dave Jensen is a rail operations expert with more than 36 years of rail and executive-level management experience. As RTD’s Deputy Chief Operations Officer for both commuter rail and light rail, he oversees all aspects of rail operations.
Jensen’s career began in 1989, and he has extensive experience overseeing all levels of a passenger railroad agency.
Jensen has provided consultation and assistance to transit agencies in the United States and internationally, including agencies in Hong Kong, Canada, Argentina, Utah, California, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. He also has participated in numerous peer reviews for the American Public Transportation Association and consulted streetcar new start agencies in Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Detroit. Widely recognized as a subject-matter expert in railroad operations, he has testified as an expert witness in California and Colorado, with specialized expertise in rules, policies, procedures, and training.
Greg Smith
Deputy Chief Operations Office, Bus Operations
Greg Smith brings more than 20 years of experience in public transportation and has managed fixed-route bus, paratransit, and demand-response services, and developed expertise in service delivery, maintenance, safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and financial management. Since joining RTD in 2006 as a service planner, he has served in progressive leadership roles in Special Services, Contracted Services, and Bus Operations.
Promoted in 2020 to Deputy Assistant General Manager of Bus Operations, Smith oversaw RTD’s contracted bus service delivery and compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, he led the renegotiation of complex service delivery contracts and implemented service modifications that significantly strengthened the agency’s financial position.
Smith was appointed Deputy Chief of Operations Officer of Bus Operations in July 2025. In this capacity, he provides strategic leadership for a department of approximately 1,800 employees and an annual budget of $450 million.
Smith began his transit career with the Metropolitan Transit System in San Diego and holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from San Diego State University. He is active in the American Public Transportation Association and the International Association of Public Transport.
John McKay
Chief of Staff
John McKay has dedicated his 20-year career to public service. He joined RTD in 2016 and was named Chief of Staff in June 2025. In this role—and previously as Executive Business Partner—McKay provides leadership and direction in strategic planning and performance management, coordinates decision-making across departments, advances strategic initiatives and tactics, and drives organizational alignment. From 2016 to 2021, he served as RTD's Board Office Administrator, leading a professional team that supported the agency’s Board of Directors.
Before joining RTD, McKay served as a non-partisan legislative staffer for the Colorado General Assembly. From 2005-2010, he worked as a legislative editor and amendment clerk in the Office of Legislative Legal Services, later serving as Assistant Secretary and then Acting Secretary of the Senate—the chief officer of the Colorado Senate staff.
Originally from Virginia, McKay earned his undergraduate degree in history from James Madison University and is pursuing a graduate degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver. He is an alumnus of the Eno/MAX (Multi-Agency Exchange) Program and previously served as an appointed member of Colorado’s Capitol Building Advisory Committee.