(Des Moines, IA) Today, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad named Mark Lowe the Interim Director of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). Lowe’s appointment comes after the resignation of Paul Trombino, who will serve his last day as Director today. Lowe begins his new role as Interim Director of the Iowa DOT on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
Lowe has been Director of the Iowa DOT’s Motor Vehicle Division since April 1, 2009. Before taking this position, Lowe served as general counsel to the Iowa DOT.
Before entering state government, Lowe was an associate and then shareholder with Hopkins & Huebner, P.C. in Des Moines. He has also served as associate general counsel for Norwest Financial in Des Moines and, prior to law school, as a planner at the Region XII Council of Governments in Carroll, Iowa.
Lowe, 50, was born in Illinois and lived in rural Illinois and Missouri before moving to Iowa in 1977. He graduated from Carroll High School in 1984 and from Iowa State University in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in community and regional planning. Lowe earned his law degree from Drake University in 1993 and served there as editor-in-chief of the Drake Law Review for the 1992-1993 year.
Lowe lives in West Des Moines with his wife Linda. They have four children – Daniel, Mary, Matt and Erin. Lowe is a scoutmaster for Troop 242 in West Des Moines, serves as an usher at his church, and is a member of the West Des Moines Library Board of Trustees. Lowe served on the board of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) from 2010 to 2016, serving as its chair in 2014 to 2015. In his leisure time, Lowe enjoys running, swimming, biking and playing guitar.
Branstad has not set a timeline for naming a new Director of the Iowa DOT. The position has been posted and is now accepting applications.
