Garret Silversmith to lead NECA
By Rick Abasta
Special to the Times
GALLUP
The Navajo Nation Division of Transportation will be traveling down the road without Garret Silversmith, the current executive director who has led the division for the past seven and a half years.
Silversmith will leave the driver’s seat at NDOT to take the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority helm beginning July 24.
He called the opportunity “wonderful” and said it’s the continuation of his career and another angle to help the Navajo people and surrounding communities regarding the advancement and prosperity of all infrastructure projects in the Navajo Nation.
“I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I’m very fortunate for this opportunity. I look forward to joining the NECA family, and I’m deeply appreciative of the Nygren-Montoya Administration.”
Silversmith was uncertain who would fill his shoes at NDOT, but he said the current standing delegation hierarchy includes deputy director Norma Bowman in line first, followed by principal civil engineer Darryl Bradley and principal contract analyst Ardaniel Begay.
Silversmith started working for NDOT under the Begaye-Nez Administration in January 2016. He continued as executive director for the Nez-Lizer Administration before getting selected again to serve by the current administration.
He said NDOT’s success resulted from work from its employees and staff.
“They are dedicated and focused. We completed more than half a billion dollars in road construction projects, new highways, bridges, and maintaining the five airports across the Navajo Nation,” he said.
During his tenure at NDOT, Silversmith said he’s forged great relationships with county, state, and tribal officials and, most importantly, the 110 chapters across the Navajo Nation.
He expressed appreciation to the Navajo Nation Council, especially for its solutions and recommendations to the divisions over the years. Currently, NDOT has 125 road improvement projects underway.
“We have more than $300 million with of work that we are overseeing,” he said.
Silversmith said his new job will be focused on ARPA projects, which he said is a “huge task.”
“We’re moving forward again. I’m saddened to be leaving NDOT, but I’m still a part of the Nygren-Montoya Administration,” he said. “I’m grateful for the many relationships that I’ve established. I hold them deeply and closely to me.”
The Navajo people have my commitment, he added.
Before NDOT, Silversmith was the supervisory highway engineer for the BIA Division of Transportation in Chinle. Before that position, he worked as a civil engineer for Bighorse Engineers, beginning in 2003.
He received his bachelor’s in civil engineering from New Mexico State University in 1993.
He also worked as a staff engineer for Nations Gas Technologies Inc. and as a project engineer with Navajo Housing Authority.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow