Dylan Mullenix has been named executive director of the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the group announced today.

Mullenix, who has served in the role on an interim basis since May 2023, will begin the position in a permanent role on Monday. The MPO’s policy committee voted unanimously Thursday to offer the position to Mullenix, which he accepted. The employment contract will be executed at a special policy committee meeting on March 7.

Mullenix has served with the MPO for nearly 18 years, starting as an entry-level planner before moving up to principal planner, assistant director and interim executive director.

Bob Andeweg, chair of the MPO board and mayor of Urbandale, said Mullenix’s experience makes him the right person to lead the organization into the future.

“We conducted an extensive and inclusive search for the next executive director, and the process validated that Dylan is absolutely the leader we need,” Andeweg said in a prepared statement. “Dylan exceeded the search committee’s already high expectations with his compelling vision for the future of the MPO. The full policy committee has the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the organization forward.”

The search was conducted by the local team of Cassandra Halls of 2 the Top and Diana Deibler of Deibler & Co. It was done under the direction of the MPO policy and search committees.

As executive director, Mullenix will lead eight staff members and manage a $2 million operating budget. He will also help guide several planning efforts, including an update to Mobilizing Tomorrow, the region’s long-range transportation plan, which will help shape $80 million in upcoming investments. Those efforts also include the development of a comprehensive safety action plan for the region, which aims to eliminate serious injuries and deaths from the region’s transportation network.

In the news release, Mullenix said he is looking forward to working with board members to “optimize the MPO to its fullest potential.”

“Transportation is foundational to the success of our region, and the MPO plays such an important role in bringing the numerous regional players together to determine priorities, find resources, and sustain focused attention on projects of regional impact,” he said.

The MPO is a regional transportation planning entity of local communities and transportation agencies in the Des Moines area. It maintains the region’s long-range transportation plan and has invested more than $75 million in local transportation projects over the past five years, including the Des Moines transload facility.

Mullenix fills the role on a permanent basis after serving in an interim role following the departure of Todd Ashby in May 2023.