OUR TEAM'S WORK: Transportation

Transportation

Regional Transportation District (RTD) Accountability Committee
RTD Bus

Transit governance reform in Colorado had been discussed for years without resolution. RTD’s fully elected board structure, one of only three in the country, had produced chronic accountability gaps and a pattern of decisions that prioritized board members’ political interests over system performance. Legislation alone had not moved it.

In 2025, SB25-161 created the RTD Accountability Committee, a 15-member body charged with examining RTD governance, paratransit, workforce, and local government collaboration. Confluence was selected to design and facilitate the process. Over five months, the committee worked through a structured sequence: grounding members in shared understanding before generating ideas, surfacing evidence before weighing proposals, and building toward consensus before voting. A governance recommendation that initially failed to reach the required supermajority was later adopted 11-2 after additional deliberation, demonstrating what the process was designed to produce.

The committee’s 31 recommendations, including a restructured nine-member hybrid board, were codified in SB26-150, which passed both chambers and was signed by the Governor. The legislative declaration cited the committee’s process and the role of a neutral facilitator verbatim.

Future of Transit & Rail Working Group​

At the request of the Executive Directors of CDOT and the Senior Advisor to the Governor and Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Abramson convened and facilitated a multi-meeting series on the future of transit and rail in Colorado. Those meetings created the framework and coalition of support for SB24-194 and other associated legislation, and established the foundation for the ongoing effort to develop front range passenger rail service in Colorado.

Transit Meeting
Governor’s Transportation Funding Group

At the request of Governor Polis and his Chief of Staff, Abramson developed a plan, managed logistics, and facilitated a working group to examine the state’s transportation funding needs and strategies. The common ground produced through the working group laid the foundation for legislation and a ballot initiative that represented the largest investment in state infrastructure in half a century.

Regional Transit Bus in Colorado Mountains
Clean Transit Enterprise Formula Grant and Stakeholder Engagement

Colorado’s transit agencies faced a significant transition: new state funding for fleet electrification and service expansion was becoming available, but the grant structure, application process, and eligibility framework needed to be built from the ground up. In 2025, leaders at the Colorado Department of Transportation retained Confluence to support the rollout of the Clean Transit Enterprise formula grant program, established under SB25-230. Confluence worked with CTE leadership to identify eligible applicants, develop the stakeholder engagement plan, and create materials for a series of informational webinars. Weekly sessions with eligible entities and interested parties were managed and facilitated by Confluence to address questions about the program and application process.

Press Conference at Train Station
Joint Service Passenger Rail

Following passage of legislation to advance front range passenger rail service in Colorado, a Special Advisor to the Governor asked Confluence President Berrick Abramson to serve as lead facilitator for negotiations toward an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) among the key parties: the Governor’s Office, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Regional Transportation District, and the Front Range Passenger Rail District. After more than eight months of facilitated discussions, the principals reached agreement on an IGA. Abramson also led presentations on the project to the boards of multiple transit and transportation bodies and to municipal organizations including the Colorado Municipal League, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, and the Metro Caucus of Mayors.

Colorado Transportation Investment Office ​

The Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO) Board of Directors needed to align on a shared vision, investment priorities, and decision-making processes as the Office matured. At the request of CDOT and CTIO leaders, Confluence designed and facilitated a strategic planning retreat for the Board in 2025. The retreat included a structured orientation on CTIO’s history, focus areas, and recent investments, followed by facilitated sessions to surface shared values, clarify priorities, establish a vision for the Office’s direction, and align on the processes the Board would use to identify and evaluate future investment focus areas.

STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGED
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WORK GROUPS/TASK FORCES MANAGED
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MEETINGS PLANNED & FACILITATED
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REGULATORY & POLICY CHANGES INFORMED
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