The field of candidates has been narrowed to six for the top job at RTD, and the elected board’s search committee expects to name three to four finalists from among them next week.

Among the six is current acting RTD general manager, Phil Washington.

The finalists will meet RTD staff, FasTracks consultants, transit stakeholders and others at a reception Thursday in the Oxford Hotel. It will be an opportunity for the locals to meet the slate of people from whom the new RTD boss will be selected.

Included in the itinerary for each of the finalists is a session with a panel of civic leaders named on Thursday by RTD’s board of directors.

The panel will “represent the wider community and various stakeholders … and give feedback to the RTD Board Executive Search Committee” after interviewing the finalists, RTD said on Thursday.

The Civic Leaders Panel members are:

• Dr. John C. Buechner, former president of the University of Colorado
• Preston Gibson, president and CEO of the Jefferson Economic Council
• Dr. Donna Lynne, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Colorado Region
• Bob Murphy, Mayor of Lakewood
• Carla Perez, Senior Policy Analyst for Transportation in Governor Bill Ritter’s Office of Policy and Initiatives
• Nancy Sharpe, Mayor of Greenwood Village

The panel will meet with the search committee after the committee has done its formal interviews with the finalists.

“The panel is part of the RTD board’s effort to enlist the community and stakeholders in the process of selecting the next general manager for the district and ensure a process that is transparent, inclusive and provides valuable information to the board,” read a statement issued by the transit agency.

“In addition to the Civic Leaders Panel, the board will hold a stakeholder forum to allow citizens, staff, employees, contract employees and elected officials to meet and have discussions with finalists,” the statement reads.

The full board expects to name a new general manager before the end of the month. The person will replace Cal Marsella, who resigned in July after 14 years at the helm.