Dave Swallow

Growing up in a military family, Dave Swallow was all too familiar with moving boxes. He bounced from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the Philippines to Honolulu — all before his 16th birthday.

Then came the family’s fourth stop: Las Vegas.

It was the early 1990s, a time when the destination city in the Mojave Desert was in the midst of a population boom. And its latest resident quickly developed an affinity for the latest place his family called home.

“It felt different,” Swallow says of Las Vegas. “It was almost surreal in that it was somewhat remote and yet also established with its own cultural identity and promise of opportunity.”

Unfortunately for Swallow, though, there was no promise of permanence. To wit: After graduating Eldorado High School in Las Vegas and spending the ensuing year at a military prep school back in New Mexico, Swallow returned home to the news that the family was packing up again. 

The latest landing spot? Florida.

Just like that, Swallow was faced with his first — and, in retrospect, most significant — fork-in-the-road moment, for it would have a domino-like effect on the rest of his life.

“Florida sounded like a fun place, but I had built strong connections in Las Vegas and it really felt like home,” Swallow says. “So I told my parents that instead of moving with them and the rest of my family, I was going to stay here and attend UNLV.”

Swallow says his parents “were a little apprehensive” but didn’t stand in his way. In fact, his mother’s friend helped him land a part-time job, which was needed to cover tuition expenses.

While he missed his family, Swallow knew from the moment he stepped on campus that he made the right call. “I felt like I was in a special place, almost like an island in the middle of town where the regular hustle and bustle was replaced with a calm focus on academics and research,” he says of UNLV’s environment. “Sure, there was a lot of revelry surrounding big Rebel games and events. But otherwise the campus offered a serene environment where one could focus.”

And focus was precisely what Swallow needed to do — specifically, on what he wanted for his future. Because even though it didn’t take long for him to feel at home at UNLV, it did take some time to settle on a course of study.

At first, Swallow considered pairing his strong math aptitude with a passion for drawing that he discovered in high school, so he arranged to meet with a School of Architecture professor. “He asked me some probing questions, then gave me a candid outlook on what a possible career would entail,” he recalls. “I quickly realized that I wasn’t wired that way.”

Nor was he wired for communications, education, or business, all paths that several friends were pursuing. Then at one point, Swallow says he remembered that a friend from military school mentioned that he was planning to study engineering. Soon after, Swallow began his journey toward a mechanical engineering degree.

Then came another fork-in-the-road decision.

“I made some great friends and enjoyed the camaraderie of my peers and even the rigorous curriculum,” Swallow says. “However, about 2½ years into the program, I was looking at my career options and it seemed like civil engineering had a broader set of specialities and opportunities. As I pivoted in my coursework and was taking new classes, I started meeting new people and realized that I was on the right track — not just in terms of future options, but really the culture of the entire civil engineering profession.”

It’s a profession to which Swallow has devoted the last three decades of his life, first in the private sector and for the last 25 years with the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada.

During his early years with the RTC, Swallow wore several civil engineering hats. He also carved out time to bolster his education: At the urging of his then-girlfriend (and now wife) Kristina — herself a civil engineer — Swallow returned to UNLV in the mid-1990s to begin pursuing his graduate degree.

Spoiler alert: Much like his previous decisions — attending UNLV, joining the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, switching from mechanical to civil engineering, and shifting jobs from the private to the public sector — this one also paid off.

And not just academically.

“As I progressed through and completed the master’s program, I got to know some of the faculty,” Swallow says. “They kept track of what I was doing at work and occasionally would invite me back to give presentations to classes. I was also able to collaborate with several faculty on grant-funded transportation research. 

“Around the same time I was invited to join an advisory board created by some outstanding civil engineering alumni, who recognized the importance of a strong program and wanted to give back by finding ways to support the department and its students.”

That support ended up extending beyond the walls of UNLV’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction, too. Through his work at the RTC, Swallow met another Rebel alumnus who happened to be a past president of the UNLV Alumni Association.

That colleague encouraged Swallow to expand his commitment to his alma mater by joining the Alumni Association's Board of Directors.

“I took his advice, and I was accepted — and thankfully so, as it was an extremely rewarding experience,” Swallow says. “Everyone on that board has a genuine passion and enthusiasm to support and uplift the university and its alumni.”

Swallow would eventually serve three consecutive terms on the Alumni Association’s board, participating in its various initiatives and chairing its Finance Committee. And even as his responsibilities at the RTC have expanded — he’s served as one of the organization’s deputy CEOs for nearly six years — Swallow remains actively involved with the university. For instance, he’s a member of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction advisory board, as well as the College of Engineering’s Alumni Chapter.

Now, in recognition of this tireless service, Swallow is the 2025 College of Engineering Alumnus of the Year recipient. 

Needless to say, he’s grateful that he chose the path he did upon encountering that very first fork in the road: plant roots in Las Vegas and attend UNLV, or follow his family to Florida? That gratitude, of course, is shared by countless others who have benefited from Swallow’s support.

Now it’s his wish for others to follow his lead.

“My hope,” he says, “is that every UNLV graduate realizes how important the university is to our community, and that as alumni we should continue to support it however we can.”

When did you know that you made the right call to become a Rebel?

I don’t know that there was a specific “a-ha” moment; rather, it was really once I graduated and began to meet fellow alumni who were making an impact throughout the community.

I think most people who have lived here for a while understand that Las Vegas is a place where close-knit relationships and familiarity cultivate a get-stuff-done environment. The same is true of UNLV. Whether at work or having fun, there is an instant recognition and connection whenever I meet other Rebel alumni.

It’s one reason why I joined the UNLV Alumni Association as a lifetime member shortly after graduation. That membership has given me access to so many experiences and opportunities to be part of the Rebel community, which I otherwise would’ve missed out on.

How difficult was it for you to juggle the academic rigors of being an engineering student while also working to put yourself through school?

I enjoyed the challenge, but sometimes it was really tough, especially when taking courses over the summer to keep pace — since I was paying my own way, I wanted to graduate as soon as I could.

Thankfully the College of Engineering had curriculum “flow charts” — basically, a checklist of all the classes I needed to take to complete the program. I kept copies taped to the walls at home and at work, and would mark off classes as I completed them. This helped me stay focused and build mental fortitude that I have relied on throughout my career. 

What course at UNLV did you lean on most to set you up for early-career success? How does that course still resonate as you go about your everyday business?

There were so many, but if I had to pick one, it was probably an engineering project management course taught by the late professor Walter Vodrazka. It was incredibly useful to learn how to break down a project into specific tasks, organize them in sequences, and build out a schedule with a critical path for delivery.

Aside from the content, Dr. Vodrazka always dressed well, spoke with genuine sincerity, and had an executive presence that I tried to emulate later in my career as I managed teams, supported internal leadership and peers, collaborated with external stakeholders, and interacted with the public.  

After starting your engineering career in the private sector, you accepted a position with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and nearly a quarter-century later, you’re still there. At what point did you realize the RTC might be a long-term fit?

Almost immediately. I enjoyed what I did in the private sector, the types of projects I was assigned, and the fast pace at which we worked. Someone told me that there was an opening for a senior engineer at the RTC, and frankly, I was a little apprehensive about going to work in the public sector. I had this perception that it would be a slower pace, with my work getting bogged down by processes and bureaucracy. I also assumed there would be institutional inertia against innovation.

Turns out the RTC has been the complete opposite and is an incredible organization. We have a culture of enthusiasm, collaboration, and innovation, and it’s complemented by a sense of urgency and an overarching focus on serving the community. 

Most of our residents think of the RTC as the transit authority, but it is so much more. In fact, because of our structure, we’re able to transcend jurisdictional boundaries and push through initiatives.

From the time that I started to now, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our transportation system by collaborating with agencies at the local, state and federal levels to secure funding, and implementing meaningful projects and services.

Our organization is considered mid-size relative to our national peers, but punches well above its weight when it comes to the variety of its functions. 

You have spent the last half-dozen years as the RTC’s Deputy CEO. What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered in this role?

The pandemic was definitely one, as it made everything we did difficult. But the more consistent challenges have been building consensus around the problems we’re trying to address, accepting the time it will take to get things done, and actually implementing solutions.

For example, when it came to increasing funding for our roadways, we were able to develop a sensible approach, garner support from elected leaders, and with the consent of the voters deliver a safer, better roadway network. Conversely, our public transportation system, which is literally the most cost-efficient bus system in the country, is greatly underfunded.

To me, public transit is essential to the overall transportation network, as it moves more people in less space, creating more capacity on the roadways and also ensuring everyone can safely get to where they need to go, regardless of resources or ability.

What is the general public’s biggest misconception about big-city transportation infrastructure?

That there is no coordination. While drivers around town may see a lot of traffic cones, the reality is that not all construction in the road is road construction. For instance, there are hundreds of active work zones throughout the Las Vegas Valley at any given time, and often those are for utility work, minor repairs or maintenance of traffic signals, streetlights or landscaping, or improvements for a private development.

The RTC works closely with local municipalities and utilities to understand where these work zones are planned, what work is occurring, and how long it’s expected to take. Along the way we encourage all of our partners to coordinate wherever possible. Then we make this information available to the public on our website, which is regularly updated.

What does the phrase “Rebel Spirit” mean to you?

For me, “Rebel Spirit” represents the tenacity, creativity and ingenuity that helped create Las Vegas and our university. It’s probably best described in the slogan “Rebels Make It Happen!” It’s a mantra I try to remember whenever I’m facing new challenges.