She succeeds Charlene Polege, who stepped down from the role earlier this month.
Trans brings more than 30 years of human resources experience in public service, public safety, and the nonprofit sector primarily in Denver and Colorado Springs. She served most recently as Chief of Staff for Denver Rescue Mission, where she led a campaign “to elevate employee experience, including initiatives that reduced overall employee turnover,” according to RTD, which provides light rail, commuter rail, bus, on-demand, paratransit, airport, and special event services in eight counties.
Previously, Tran was Chief Human Resources Officer for the Colorado Department of Human Services and led statewide negotiations for the Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions (COWINS) collective bargaining agreement representing 27,000 employees, which RTD said was the first agreement of its kind in Colorado state government. Tran also worked for the City and County of Denver as Director of Human Resources for Public Safety, overseeing more than 7,000 civilian and sworn employees while managing labor relations and negotiations across six collective bargaining agreements.
Tran earned a Master of Business Administration, with dual concentrations in HR management and leadership, as well as a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Colorado. She holds three professional certifications: Society for Human Resource Management, Human Resources Certification Institute, and Public Sector Human Resources Association. Tran is also a member of the SHRM Executive Network, and works on the El Pomar Emerging Leaders Program’s Asian American Advisory Council and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs School of Business Career Coaching Program.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to serve as Chief People Officer at RTD,” Tran said during the Dec. 22 announcement of her appointment. “Our dedicated employees are the driving force behind our mission of making lives better through connections I am committed to equipping every member of our team with the resources, training, and support necessary to advance that mission by providing safe, reliable, and efficient public transportation services that serve our communities across the Denver metro area.”
