Gov. Mead Announces Transition of WYDOT’s Cox to Another Cabinet Post

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has tapped John Cox – director since 2005 of the state Department of Transportation and this year’s president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – to soon take a different cabinet post as director of the Department of Workforce Services.

That was part of a Sept. 8 announcement that covers three leadership changes involving the transportation department.

Mead also named Bill Panos, now director of the School Facilities Department, to become interim director at WYDOT.

And he said Del McOmie, WYDOT’s chief engineer, will take over as director of the School Facilities Department. Mead’s announcement said McOmie has recently been heading the Department of Workforce Services on an interim basis.

The workforce services and school facilities appointments are subject to Senate confirmation. The appointment of a permanent WYDOT director will be made out of a slate of candidates provided by the Transportation Commission and require subsequent Senate approval.

Cox has told AASHTO the effective date of the changes is Oct. 12. His term as AASHTO president continues through the association’s annual meeting Sept. 24-28 in Chicago, when the board will choose officers for the year ahead.

In explaining his cabinet changes, Mead said: “When the director’s job at the Department of Workforce Services came open this summer, I reassessed the leadership we already had in-house and determined we could fill the vacancy from within. I believe we can optimally use existing talent and experience by making several cabinet changes and today I announce them.”

Mead’s announcement said Cox as the DOT chief had more than a decade’s experience managing a large department with statewide reach “and will bring his considerable administrative skills to DWS.”

McOmie “will move to SFD where his engineering background and management experience as WYDOT’s chief engineer will be great assets,” it continued.

And Panos, it said, “brought fresh perspective and new ideas with success to SFD since joining the cabinet in fall 2013. He will be an able interim director of WYDOT until a permanent director is named.”