Going Places
Angie Rivera-Malpiede, RTD Board of Directors
Interview by: Gin Butler, Visitor Center Ambassador
There are so many things we in Central Park take for granted. For instance, buses will be running, commuter rail will be here early 2016, bike/walking paths will be handy and cleaned in the winter, etc. However, those things don’t just happen. In the case of Central Park, there is a fantastic person who manages that responsibility: Angie Rivera-Malpiede!
I recently had the opportunity to sit with Angie and speak with her about who she is and what she does for the community.
Angie came to the Foundation in 2002, after a national search was conducted for the position of Director of the Transportation Management Association (TMA- now known as the Northeast Transportation Connections). Being a resident of Denver, she was surprised to get the call asking her if she would agree to do an interview. She was further surprised because she was enjoying her position with Mi Casa Resource Center, a non-profit working to advance the economic success of Latino and other working families.
Angie had been raised by a very strong mother, who took her by the hand at a very early age going door -to-door collecting money for the Easter Seal Drive. That was her introduction to “giving back” to her community and she recognized that non-profit work and helping her community was her life’s calling. Thus began her professional life in the community: Girl Scouts, Mi Casa, the Denver Center for Crime Victims, and others. Now that she was being offered a position in transportation, she had to figure out the position and how it would satisfy her need to give back. Given her skills and background, it didn’t take her long to blend the two.
First of all, she loves the infrastructure of the community and its design that promotes the use of alternative transportation; walking to work, the grocery store, the park, the doctor’s office, restaurants, entertainment, etc. The design encourages people to interact more with their neighbors and the individuals they do business with, in an environmentally friendly way.
As a result, she took that plan and applied it to the Northeast Denver community as a whole. Now she is an elected official on the RTD Board of Directors. She now Chairs their Civil Rights Committee. When she was the Secretary of the Board she was privileged to have her signature on the Two Billion dollar Union Station contract, which has now been named one of the “Icons of the West”. Additionally, she has been appointed by the White House to the American Public Transportation Association (APTS).
With all of her professional accomplishments, Angie’s family life is equally a great source of pride for her. She is a mother of two daughters; Jennifer, who is on the Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council and Karly, who is with the Urban Land Conservancy, proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She will quickly tell you her two daughters are her greatest success. She recognized early on that education was the way to empower her daughters so they could be successful; and they are.
How does Central Park benefit having Ms. Rivera-Malpiede on our side? My personal observation would be from her commitment, tenacity, goal setting, energy & her dynamic personality. My professional observation would be from her extensive network, her knowledge base and her ability to keep Denver and the community in the forefront of transportation innovation. Her efforts, and the advancements in Denver, encourage businesses to locate/relocate here, enhancing economic development. This in turn allows for the resources needed to keep improving these transportation initiatives.
It is clear that the Central Park community will continue to grow and succeed with Angie on our side!
