With a need for improved safety for people on the roads, and urgency to address the environmental impact of cars, Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure may get a new executive director.
As Mayor Mike Johnston continues to fill out the city's executive staff, he's nominated Amy Ford to head of DOTI. If she gets the approval of City Council, she would replace Adam Phipps, who started in the position in 2021.
"Amy Ford will lead DOTI with a roadmap for a dynamic mobility ecosystem that improves the quality of life for all Denverites," Johnston said in a press release. "Her depth of leadership and experience will create a connected, community-focused multi-modal network that will improve our city."
According to the release Ford will look to increase mobility and safety, reduce congestion and work on climate changing actions. She'll also "plan, design, build, and maintain the city's infrastructure."
Ford will have plenty to work on when it comes to street safety. Deaths and serious injuries on Denver streets have risen steadily since 2016, when the city pledged to do the opposite with Vision Zero, a plan to eliminate deaths and injuries by 2030. This year, 79 people have died in traffic incidents, close to last year's total of 82.
However, the department has made "significant investments" since 2016, including adding 125 miles of bicycle lanes to the city's infrastructure, adding a rapid response team that assesses and fixes crash-prone spots, and lowering speed limits on side streets.
Ford currently works at AECOM, an infrastructure consulting firm, where she oversees global strategy for transformative mobility and transportation decarbonization programs. She worked in government for six years before that at the Colorado Department of Transportation, as the chief of advanced mobility and the top spokesperson for the agency. In the mobility role, she oversaw projects on digital infrastructure and automated technologies.
Ford also founded and currently sits on the board of the Fax Partnership, a nonprofit focused on improving East Colfax via affordable housing, better transit and support for local businesses.
With the appointment, Johnston has two lead positions left to fill in the city's executive body: heads of the Department of Public Health & Environment and the Department of Community Planning and Development.
Johnston's office also announced the appointment of Judge Kerri Lombardi as Presiding Judge of the Denver County Court. The appointment will go into effect on Feb. 1, 2024. Judge Lombardi will replace presiding Judge Nicole Rodarte, who said she would be stepping down on Jan. 31, 2024,
