RTD highlights women in transit during Women’s History Month: Meet Danica Skrobot and Emily Abbott

RTD continues to honor exceptional women in its workforce as part of Women’s History Month, recognizing their personal and professional achievements and contributions to society.

Danica Skrobot, a parts clerk in the agency’s Boulder Division, recently celebrated her first RTD anniversary. She emphasizes, “What I like the most about my job is the opportunity to interact with a lot of different people and help them.” Skrobot points out how her earlier experience as a manager opened her eyes to the complexities of running a successful establishment. This experience motivates her to “do better and has shown the importance of how being positive can change people and help with morale.”

Strong women inspire others and the same holds true for Skrobot, whose mother is her mentor. “She is someone I look up to for guidance. She keeps me in check and allows me to grow as a person. She’s a role model for my whole family, kind of the glue that sticks us together, and someone you can rely on as a friend,” Skrobot said.

When not assisting her team, Skrobot’s favorite things to do are spending time with family, reading, gaming, crafting, and engaging in outdoor activities with her husband.

Also in the agency’s Boulder Division, Emily Abbott, a general repair mechanic, is an example that women can pursue any career path. Abbott has dedicated over eight years to RTD, starting as an operator, then working as a mechanic helper and progressing to her current position.

Abbott, a car enthusiast, loves learning about different systems and applying the knowledge practically. Even when off duty, she loves driving her MINI and exploring the country. Abbott believes that to encourage more women to go after their transit passion it’s necessary “to give them opportunities, the ability to try out different positions.” This approach proved successful for Abbott, and she feels grateful for the opportunity to advance in her career and assist her former customers by now fixing the buses they ride.

One of Abbott’s inspirations is her mom, who, faced with difficult circumstances, spread her wings, and tried different things until she found something she loved and went for it. In a historical context, she admires Amelia Earhart, an American aviator, who “pushed the boundaries, pushed the front edge of aviation, and tried to circumnavigate the world on her Lockheed Electra.”