Executive Staff Member Profiles

Retired Maj. Gen. Luke Reiner became the 18th director of the Wyoming Department of Transportation in March 2019. Gov. Mark Gordon recently appointed Reiner to the position.

Reiner recently retired as the Adjutant General for Wyoming. In that position he directed the Wyoming Military Department in Cheyenne where he was responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs that affected more than 3,000 Army and Air National Guard members. He was also responsible for the Wyoming Veterans’ Affairs Commission and the Oregon Trail State Veterans’ Cemetery.

Reiner began his military career as an enlisted soldier in 1982, serving in the Nebraska Army National Guard. He received his commission from the University of Nebraska’s Reserve Officer Training Corp program in December 1986 before transferring to  the Wyoming Army National Guard where he served as a part time soldier while working as a CPA in Casper, Wyoming.  He joined the Active Guard and Reserve program in 1991 and served in multiple positions throughout his career.  

Reiner served as commander of Camp New York, Kuwait, during Operation Iraqi Freedom II and commanded the Wyoming Army National Guard’s 115th Fires Brigade, during which time he was instrumental in the unit’s successful transformation to a new modular design. He also served as the chair of the National Guard Field Artillerymen Advisory Committee.  Reiner also previously served as the chief of the Joint Staff at the Wyoming National Guard Joint Force Headquarters.

During his time in the military, Reiner was honored for his work. He received the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Services Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), National Defense Service Medal 2nd Award, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global, among others.

Reiner’s educational background includes:

• 2015 CAPSTONE, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. 
• 2014 Kenan-Flagler Business School, Army Strategic Leadership Development Program, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• 2009 Advanced Joint Military Professional Education, Joint Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia
• 2005 U.S. Army War College, Master of Strategic Studies, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
• 2001 Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
• 1999 Master of Public Administration, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
• 1986 Bachelor of Arts, Business, Accounting, Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska
• 1986 Bachelor of Science, secondary education, Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska

WYDOT officials appointed Mark Gillett as Chief Engineer in June 2020. As Chief Engineer, he is responsible for the Planning, Design, Construction and Operation of the state’s surface transportation system.

Prior to serving as Chief Engineer, Gillett was Assistant Chief Engineer for Operations, a position he served in from October 2016 through June 2020. As assistant Chief Engineer for Operations, Gillett was responsible for all five districts in the field; and the State Construction, State Maintenance, Highway Safety, Traffic Design/Operations, Equipment, and Facility programs in Cheyenne.

Gillett also served as WYDOT’s District Engineer for District 4 from 2000 to 2016. District 4 is based out of Sheridan and provides services for the northeast part of Wyoming.

Gillett started working for WYDOT in May 1980 as an engineer I in Gillette. After that, he served as Resident Engineer in Lovell, Resident Engineer in Cody, Maintenance Staff Engineer in Cheyenne and District Maintenance Engineer for District 4 in Sheridan.

Gillett was born and raised in Rapid City, S.D. He received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
 

Troy Babbitt was appointed WYDOT’s Chief Technology Officer in 2019 and oversees the department’s Emergency Communications/Telecommunications, GIS/ITS/TMC and Information Technology/Data Storage/Web Applications programs. In addition, Babbitt was designated by Gov. Mark Gordon as the 911 coordinator for the state of Wyoming. 

Babbitt brings extensive experience to the position, having worked in several technology positions throughout his 30-plus-year-government career.

Most recently, Babbitt served as WYDOT’s Emergency Communications Program Manager, a position he held since Dec. 1, 2016. Emergency Communications, previously known as  Telecommunications, oversees WYDOT’s phone, cell, modem systems, WyoLink radio network and infrastructure, microwave network, radio roadside network and statewide field technicians. As program manager, Babbitt also served as the statewide interoperability coordinator (SWIC) and Wyoming’s FirstNet state point of contact (SPOC) as designated by Gov. Matt Mead.

Before WYDOT, Babbitt served as the broadband enterprise architect in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) with the Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) agency for the state of Wyoming. In that position, Babbitt assisted with the expansion of broadband connectivity across the state with internet service providers.

Some of his accomplishments include broadband expansion for the Wyoming Unified Network (WUN), assisting WYDOT and service providers in getting new fiber access routes in the interstate right-of-way corridors, assisting with Mead’s annual broadband summits and participating in speaking engagements educating statewide leaders and the public of broadband importance, status and future opportunities. 

Prior to serving as a broadband enterprise architect, Babbitt worked for the state Department of Administration and Information as a communications system senior specialist, a position he held for 12 years.

In addition, Babbitt served in the U.S. Navy as an aviation electrician’s mate with Patrol Squadron 26 in Brunswick, Maine.

Babbitt has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Wyoming. He is a fourth-generation Wyoming native and was born and raised in Laramie.  

Babbitt also shoots professional sports photography for USA Today and the University of Wyoming. His wife, Heather, is also a dedicated State employee at the Dept. of Health and they are empty nesters with two daughters and a son-in-law.

Keith Fulton oversees the Bridge, Contracts & Estimates, Geology, Highway Development, Materials, Planning and Right-of-Way programs as WYDOT’s assistant chief engineer for engineering and planning.

Fulton previously served as the state bridge engineer from 2010 to 2016.

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.
 

WYDOT officials appointed Tom DeHoff as the new assistant chief engineer for Operations in August 2020. DeHoff is a 30-year veteran of WYDOT.

As assistant Chief Engineer for Operations, DeHoff is responsible for all five districts in the field; and the State Construction, State Maintenance, Highway Safety, Traffic Design/Operations, Equipment and Facility programs in Cheyenne.

Prior to his appointment, DeHoff was the district engineer for District 1 in Laramie, a position he held from May 2016. 

He also served as District 1 District Construction engineer from August 2011 to May 2016, staff engineer with the Construction Office from October 2010 to August 2011, resident engineer in Cheyenne from November 1999 to October 2010, project engineer from April 1999 to July 1999, senior engineer from January 1996 to April 1999, engineer/analyst from January 1994 to January 1996, engineer from January 1993 to January 1994, senior engineer specialist from January 1992 to January 1993, senior engineer technician from June 1991 to January 1992, engineer technician from January 1991 to June 1991 and engineer assistant from May 1990 to January 1991.

DeHoff’s first few positions at WYDOT were with the Laramie Design Squad, which is a program open to students who are attending the University of Wyoming for engineering. DeHoff graduated from UW with a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering.