RTD appoints Kellie Irving as Civil Rights Division Director
Civil rights, equity, and regulatory compliance leader Kellie Irving has been selected as Director of RTD’s Civil Rights Division following a national search. Her career spans more than two decades across major public agencies, transportation authorities, health care organizations, and municipal governments. In this pivotal leadership role, she will develop, plan, direct, and manage the operations of the division, which is responsible for furthering Civil Rights goals through programmatic strategy development and implementation, training, community outreach, regulatory compliance, and complaint investigation.
Irving joins RTD on Monday, March 16, and her office will be located at the Blake Street administrative offices. She will report to the Deputy CEO, with a dotted line to the General Manager and CEO in her role as the Accountable Executive with ultimate responsibility for carrying out the agency’s Civil Rights program as required by the Federal Transit Administration.
Irving is respected for her leadership in Title VI and VII, ADA Title II and III, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Minority/Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE), and socioeconomic program implementation. She is a lifelong advocate for equitable access and inclusive opportunity and has built a reputation for transforming compliance programs into engines of transparency, accountability, and community impact.
“My career in regulatory compliance has been an exciting journey, defined by a deep respect for fairness and transparency,” Irving said. “Through years of honing my craft across this great nation in different states and agencies, I have learned that while governance is visionary and leadership is necessary, our employees are priceless, and the citizens are the reason we serve. I am truly honored to have been selected as Director of the Civil Rights Division for RTD. As a dedicated public administrator, I commit myself to the Denver community with a standard of excellence and a heart for service."
Irving served most recently as Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity for the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, where she oversaw compliance with federal, state, and local civil rights laws; managed a team of 20 professionals; and directed a $1.5 million departmental budget. Prior to that, Irving was DBE Program Manager for the Maryland Transit Solutions Joint Venture, supporting the $2.3 billion Purple Line project. She led DBE program guidance, staff supervision, outreach, and all written project communications, ensuring certified firms had meaningful access to contracting opportunities.
From 2022 to 2024, Irving served as Deputy Assistant Director for the Houston Airports System Office of Business Opportunity, where she directed Minority and Women, Small, and Persons with Disabilities Business Enterprise (MW/S/PDBE) and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) compliance for one of the nation’s largest airport systems. Earlier roles include Manager of Regulatory Compliance and Civil Rights for Long Beach Transit; DBE Administrator for the San Mateo County (California) Transportation Authority; Compliance Director for the Consolidated Government of Augusta, Georgia; and Diversity Programs Director for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.
In addition to her public sector leadership, Irving has extensive entrepreneurial experience as Principal Consultant of Taylor Sloane & Associates, a boutique consulting firm specializing in diversity, affirmative action, government relations, and community engagement. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration with an emphasis in Urban Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She also holds certificates in Spanish for Public Service, Alternative Dispute Resolution – Mediation, OSHA Construction Safety, and Plan Reading.
Beyond her professional commitments, Irving is passionate about the arts and finds joy in live music and theater performances, which she considers essential to her creativity, balance, and connection to community.