AASHTO Journal - Westby Formally Named Wyoming DOT Director

Governor Mark Gordon (R) has officially appointed Darin Westby (above) as director of the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

[Above photo via Wyoming DOT]

Westby – who has served as interim director of the agency since March – was one of three candidates Gov. Gordon submitted to the Wyoming Transportation Commission to head up Wyoming DOT.

Prior to joining Wyoming DOT as interim director, Westby spent 22 years with the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, serving as director of the agency from 2016 to 2023.

Westby – who has more than 28 years of experience in the environmental, architectural, engineering, construction and management fields – holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wyoming, a civil professional engineering license, and a certificate in public management.

The Wyoming DOT is Wyoming’s largest state agency, with roughly 2,000 employees. Its broad responsibilities include maintaining highways, providing law enforcement on the roadways, and supporting aviation, as well as providing motor vehicle and driver licensing services.

[Editor’s note: To that end, the department recently a video detailing the value of the “chip sealing” process maintaining roadway surfaces statewide.]

“I am grateful to the commission for doing such a thorough search and for advancing three highly qualified candidates for my consideration,” the governor said in a statement.

“Darin has shown himself to be a strong leader while serving in the interim role,” Gov. Gordon noted. “His experience as an administrator, in law enforcement, and as an engineer will be critical as he works to advance Wyoming DOT’s mission.”

“I have found that Wyoming DOT has very important programs and a great team of amazing people,” Westby said.

“Our first goal will be to strengthen [the agency’s] workforce by eliminating the staggering number of vacancies, which should lighten the burden of our existing passionate, but overworked team,” he added. “The second goal will be to shore up the stateside funding streams to ensure we are maximizing our ability to meet today’s transportation and infrastructure challenges.”