Director JoyAnn Ruscha (they/them) was elected to the Board in 2022 and represents District B, which spans the Denver neighborhoods of Park Hill, Central Park, Montbello, Green Valley Ranch, DIA, a portion of East Colfax, as well as north of Colfax in Aurora and parts of unincorporated Adams County.

Director Ruscha is public affairs and grants advisor specializing in disability, labor, and consumer protection rights, as well as transportation equity. JoyAnn is also a pro bono advisor to an international ecology NGO and has extensive board experience, having worked with several Colorado nonprofits and as a Governor Polis appointee to two commissions.

JoyAnn has a deep connection to District B schools—a former teacher, JoyAnn worked at the original Montbello High School in Denver and at a school for at-risk youth in Aurora. JoyAnn’s son, a longtime RTD rider, is a DPS graduate (and happily car-less).

In other roles, JoyAnn was a card-carrying member of SEIU Local 105 and Carpenters Local 555. In 2021, as a recognition of their demonstrated commitment to the rights of workers across the globe, JoyAnn was awarded an honorary lifetime membership by Steelworkers Local 3267.

In 2022, JoyAnn was honored with the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition’s George Roberts & Jeanette Klimach Foot Soldier of the Year Award, which is given to a person who goes above and beyond in fighting for the Americans with Disabilities Act. As director, JoyAnn remains inspired by the Gang of 19, a group of disabled ADAPT activists who protested RTD’s inaccessible system in 1978.

JoyAnn is a member of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS), focusing on safety, security, and risk management.

Director Ruscha lives in Denver with their best friend, Max—the most amazing rescue dog ever.