Sheryl Machado is on a mission.

As the Director of Communications and Public Affairs for Denver South, Sheryl is passionate about reducing single occupancy vehicle miles traveled to improve air quality and reduce congestion. Working at Denver South, Sheryl recognized the opportunity to use her expertise and journalism background to help educate Denver South stakeholders, employees, employers, and commuters about how they can make a difference in Colorado by evaluating how they commute in and out of the region—one of her primary areas of focus. She is building partnerships and programs to raise awareness and help Denver South become a leader in alternate transportation solutions.

One of her biggest projects is providing education and engagement opportunities for employers and employees to take advantage of the many commute alternatives available. She works with partners such as RTD, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, local governments, and community stakeholders to build awareness and promote options that lead to real change in commuter trends. This collaboration provides materials, speakers, and events to focus attention on transportation options to solve transportation problems, including first and last mile challenges.

“My goal is to get our employers and employees to think about the options available in Denver South.  We are creating alternatives that are getting easier to access and use that will help to improve our air quality and reduce the impact of unnecessary single occupancy trips,” Sheryl says. “We are challenging people to reduce and or combine the trips they take and to understand this is one way to help keep Colorado healthy and beautiful, and that it will take a collective effort to do so from employers and employees.”

We know this can’t be done on an island. Sheryl and the Denver South team work with six partner jurisdictions, urban planners, city partners and multiple stakeholders to improve access and infrastructure. The team has multiple tools to educate the community and help people to understand how reducing the amount they drive alone improves air quality and can keep Colorado healthy. One such tool is providing employers with free transportation analysis plans to understand where their workforce commutes to and from. From there, the team makes recommendations to employers for commuting success and impact based on walkability, access to transit, potential for car and vanpools, providing telework/ hybrid work resources and more.

Sheryl and Denver South coordinate and participate in many awareness and community building campaigns focused on transportation. This summer, the partners are hosting four RTD appreciation and Welcome Back to the Office events. These events help build a sense of community and placemaking for commuters, while raising awareness about various commute options.

Another success for Denver South is the Lone Tree light rail expansion. The partnerships that brought this to life have saved thousands of single vehicle trips, hours of commuting time, and generated a significant return on investment for the climate and air quality.  The success our Transportation team is having demonstrates we are raising awareness and having a meaningful impact on our community.

To learn more about how your organization can engage with Denver South and their suite of free resources and services contact Sheryl today!