CWCC names RTD Board Director Rivera-Malpiede among Most Powerful Women in Business
RTD Board Director Angie Rivera-Malpiede has been named one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC), one of the largest women’s chambers of commerce in the United States.
The CWCC, which represents more than 435 companies and 1,800 individual members, will celebrate Rivera-Malpiede and her fellow 2022 honorees at a gala next month. In addition to her work on the RTD Board, Rivera-Malpiede is executive director of Northeast Transportation Connections (NETC), a nonprofit that provides transportation solutions to the communities of northeast Denver, and vice president of the Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities, for which she manages the Sustainable Development Initiative.
“I would like to thank the CWCC for the honor of being selected with such a group of amazing leaders,” Rivera-Malpiede said. “I am humbled and grateful. I love what I do. I always have felt like I am living my calling. It has never felt like a job but, rather, an extension of my soul.”
She continued: “I remember reading that if you find a job you love, you will never work a day in your life. I find that to be true. It has been such an incredible journey I have been on, and I am touched beyond belief at the great fortune and blessings I have been given.”
Transportation is Rivera-Malpiede’s life’s work, and she has been civically engaged in the community for 45 years. She joined the RTD Board in 2010 with an appointment by Gov. John Hickenlooper and served two terms as a director representing District C, in the northwest portion of Denver and covering all of Edgewater, portions of northwest Denver, and the areas of Wheat Ridge south of 38th Avenue and east of Wadsworth Boulevard.
During her third term on the Board, which began in 2019, Rivera-Malpiede was elected chair of the 15-member group in 2020 and 2021 – pandemic years that carried ample challenges and opportunities. Her current term ends at the end of this year, and Rivera-Malpiede has said she will not seek reelection. Instead, she will return to the community to work on transportation issues at the local level.
Rivera-Malpiede was nominated for this award by Debbie Ortega, an at-large member of Denver City Council who noted that her longtime friend has devoted her life to serving the Denver community.
“Her leadership acumen led RTD through a tumultuous time and the hiring of a new CEO,” Ortega said, adding that the roles she holds are a testament to her business skills. “Angie is a good businesswoman and mentor to women in our community.”
This year’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business awardees were selected by past winners from a record number of nominations, noted Simone D. Ross, CEO of the CWCC. Criteria included being passionate about the success and promotion of women in business; civic and community engagement; proven leadership; and perseverance.
“This impressive class of winners is truly committed to advancing women in business and actively work to promote equity in the workplace,” Ross said.
Rivera-Malpiede’s work was recognized last year with a Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation award for 2020 from COMTO, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. She was appointed in 2013 to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Hispanic Transportation Council and currently sits on the Denver Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee.