Executive Staff Profiles

Darin Westby was named WYDOT Interim Director by Governor Mark Gordon in March, 2023 and was appointed Director in August, 2023.  

Previously, Westby was the Director of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, a position he held since 2016 after serving 15 years with the agency and 18 years in State government. He has more than 28 years of experience in the environmental, architectural, engineering, construction and management fields. Westby earned his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wyoming and holds a Civil Professional Engineering license and a certificate in public management.

Darin has served on numerous community service boards including the Cheyenne Building Code Board of Appeals.  He has also served for nearly 30 years as a volunteer for Cheyenne Frontier Days, known as the World's Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration. In that capacity, he's held a variety of positions including Committee Chairman (Executive Vice President), General Chairman (Chief Operating Officer), Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors.  He is among the 2023 inductees in the CFD Hall of Fame.   

Westby’s personal mission statement is to be family focused and lead with a mirror and significant brand management.  

Raised in Casper, Darin has resided in Cheyenne with his wife Misha since 1994. They have three grown children and five grandchildren.

In addition to volunteering in the community, Darin enjoys boating and other outdoor activities.  In 2023 he and his family opened Westby Edge Brewing Co. in Cheyenne.  

WYDOT officials appointed Keith Fulton as Chief Engineer in February 2025. As Chief Engineer, he is responsible for the planning, design, construction and operation of the state’s surface transportation system.

Fulton previously served as the Assistant Chief Engineer for Enginnering and Planning, a position he took on in 2016. Before that, he was the state bridge engineer for sixteen years.

Fulton first worked for the Wyoming Highway Department during the summer of 1989 as a temporary employee based in Laramie. He joined the department on a permanent basis in early 1992 as an engineering analyst in the Bridge Program at Headquarters.

Fulton later served as a principal bridge engineer and then as assistant bridge engineer. Altogether, he has more than 30 years of service with the state, mostly with WYDOT.

A Riverton native, Fulton earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Wyoming. 

His professional affiliations include the Wyoming Engineering Society and the Cheyenne Engineers Club.  He and his wife Tracy enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors with their two daughters.
 

Nate Smolinski was appointed WYDOT's Chief Technology Officer in 2022 and oversees the department’s Emergency Communications/Telecommunications, GIS/ITS/TMC and Information Technology/Data Storage/Web Applications programs. In addition, Smolinski was designated by Gov. Mark Gordon as the 911 coordinator for the state of Wyoming. 

Smolinski started with WYDOT in fall of 2011 in the former Telecom department as a telecommunications specialist. He moved up the ladder, serving as senior telecommunications technician in Lander and Emergency Communications district supervisor in Sheridan. In the summer of 2016, Smolinski moved to Cheyenne for a promotion to WyoLink system support manager and, in 2019, emergency communications program manager.

He also serves as a representative for WYDOT and the state on a number of national boards and committees, including the Cyber Infrastructure and Security Agency National Conference of Statewide Interoperable Communications; the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group; and as the state point of contact for ATT - FirsNet’s Wyoming initiative.

Prior to his time with WYDOT in Wyoming, Smolinski oversaw a communications contracting company, installing networks and infrastructure for New York State Government Facilities.

In February 2025, Mark Ayen was named the new Assistant Chief Engineer for Operations. In his new role, Ayen is responsible for all five districts in the field, as well as the State Construction, State Maintenance, Highway Safety, Traffic Design/Operations, Equipment and Facility programs in Cheyenne.

Prior to his appointment, Ayen was the District Engineer for District 2 in Casper. After starting with WYDOT as an engineer in Evanston, he spent time as a Resident Engineer in Rock Springs, Construction Staff engineer in Cheyenne, and District 2 Construction Engineer.

Ayen graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering.