RTD board votes to extend CEO Debra Johnson’s contract to 2027

The Regional Transportation District’s board of directors voted Tuesday to give CEO and General Manager Debra Johnson an 18-month contract extension.

Her current contract was set to expire in November 2025 and will now run through May 2027. Eleven directors voted for the extension, one abstained and two were absent.

Board chair Erik Davidson said Johnson has dealt with several challenges over her four-year tenure, put the state’s largest transportation agency on sounder financial footing and is “driving important change that has improved the agency.” 

“This extension is intended to be offered to you to provide you the additional time to work with this agency and continue to develop out improvements to operational discipline,” Davidson said.

No directors explicitly mentioned a CPR News investigation that found that RTD, under Johnson, has paid out more than $700,000 in settlement agreements with outgoing senior employees in recent years.

Several ex-senior managers also told CPR News that Johnson, who took over as CEO in 2020, regularly mistreated her staff, insulted board members and community leaders and has not established a clear vision for the agency’s future. 

After the vote, director Doug Tisdale, who abstained from the vote, said he had concerns with the length of the contract.

“I want to make it clear it's not a new decision borne of anything that might or might not have happened today,” he told the board while turning to look at this reporter.

The board also recently approved a 5 percent raise for Johnson, bringing her annual salary to $421,878. Documents presented to the board show that including benefits and other payments, her total compensation in 2025 will be $508,671.

Johnson will soon report to a reshaped board, which will see seven new members sworn in next month. Several have said they want more transparency and accountability from Johnson and her senior leadership team at the agency — especially over reliability and service improvement issues.