WYDOT Executive Staff

John Cox has served as WYDOT Director since January 2005. He was intially appointed to the position by former Gov. Dave Freudenthal, and reappointed in February 2011 by current Gov. Matt Mead.

Prior to 2005, Cox served as administrator of the Wyoming Highway Patrol for nearly seven years. As director, Cox is responsible for Wyoming’s largest and most diverse state agency, with an annual budget of nearly $550 million and counting more than 2,000 employees based in 60 locations.

Cox was born in Denver and raised in York, Neb. He first worked for the Patrol in 1978 as a trooper based in Rock Springs. His 28-year law enforcement career also included 11 years as chief of police in Powell, five years as a division supervisor in the Douglas Police Department, and positions with the Converse County Sheriff’s Department and the Chadron (Neb.) Police Department.

Cox has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from The International University of Missouri and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI’s law enforcement executive development course.
 

Chief Engineer Del McOmie oversees the five field districts, and the Engineering, Planning and Operations divisions, as well as the Construction and Maintenance programs at headquarters. McOmie is a 30-year-plus agency veteran who first worked for WYDOT during the summer of 1979. At the time, he was a civil engineering student at the University of Wyoming.

After completing his degree in 1982, McOmie went full time as an engineer in Cody. He earned steady promotions and by 1995 was serving as district engineer in Rock Springs. He was named chief engineer in the spring of 2000.

McOmie, a past secretary-treasurer of the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is on AASHTO’s Standing Committee of Highways and chairs the work zones task force of the Subcommittee for Operations and Management. He is also is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Wyoming.

Dennis Byrne was appointed Aeronautics Administrator in April 2008. His responsibilities include the state’s Airport Improvement Program, and he oversees the disbursement of federal-aid funds for improving airport facilities, coordinates design of airport construction and maintenance projects, and manages flight services for the governor and other officials on state business.

Byrne graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1993 with a degree in economics, and he earned his Process Management Certificate from CSU-Denver in 2002. With WYDOT, he has served on special committees dealing with geographic information systems and strategic planning.
 

Gregg Fredrick oversees the Bridge, Contracts & Estimates, Geology, Highway Development, Materials, Planning and Right-of Way programs.

Fredrick first worked for WYDOT during 1980 as a temorary employee, and he returned in 1986 permanently as a bridge engineer, after earning his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Wyoming. Fredrick subsequently worked his way up through the Bridge Program, becoming state bridge engineer in 2001. He joined WYDOT executive staff in June 2010.

He is a Cheyenne native who served in the Wyoming Air National Guard from 1987 to 1997, attaining the rank of captain. Fredrick’s professional affiliations include AASHTO's Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures, the American Institute of Steel Construction and the Wyoming Engineering Society.

Tom Loftin assumed duties as WYDOT’s Support Services Administrator in August 2008. He is responsible for the agency’s Budget, Civil Rights, Compliance and Investigation, Driver Services, Employee Safety, Fuel Tax Administration, Human Resources, Motor Vehicle Services, Office Services and Training programs.

Loftin has been with the State of Wyoming since 1982, serving with the Wyoming Adjutant General’s Office, the state Department of Revenue, and with WYDOT’s Driver Services since 1993. Leading up to this appointment, he had been the Driver Services manager since February of 2006. A career member of the military, Loftin is currently the senior enlisted advisor in the Wyoming Air Guard at the rank of Command Chief Master Sergeant.
 

Ken Shultz, who joined executive staff in April 2011, oversees several agency programs, including Enterprise Technology, Equipment, Facilities Maintenance, Financial Services, Geographic Information Systems and Intelligent Transportation Systems, Information Technology, Highway Safety, Management Services, Procurement Services, Telecommunications and Traffic.

Shultz, a Rawlins native, is a 29-year veteran of WYDOT. He started permanent employment as a member of a Cheyenne-based resident engineering crew, and subsequently held positions in Cheyenne as resident engineer, maintenance staff engineer and construction staff engineer. He also worked in Rock Springs as field district maintenance engineer. From 1999 until his recent promotion to executive staff, he served as WYDOT’s state maintenance engineer.

Shultz is a 1983 civil engineering graduate of the University of Wyoming. Prior to attending UW, he earned an associate’s degree from Central Wyoming College.