What has your involvement with AAMVA been like?

I started as an AAMVA skeptic. I wasn’t sure where I fit in, and I felt like I needed to focus on my position at the Arizona Department of Transportation. But I quickly changed my mind and saw how the association, my job and my interests blended quite nicely.

The first meeting I attended was the chief administrators meeting, easily one of the most valuable meetings I have ever sat in on. We talked about what was happening across the region and other jurisdictions, bounced ideas off each other and solved problems together. I walked away from that meeting thinking, “Man, I’ve probably misjudged this a bit.”

A little later, Pat Kohler, then on the Regional Board, convinced me to join the Board, and there’s been no looking back. Currently, I’m AAMVA’s First Vice Chair, but come October 2024, I will be the Chair of the Board. I consider it a great honor.

What are you looking forward to in your new position? Any plans for the future?

I’m really excited because we’re entering a time of change. As we move into 2025, we’re changing committee structures and the way AAMVA operates. We’re using our solid foundation and improving it to continue to move forward.

We’ve seen huge growth in the need for expertise and engagement from AAMVA and the community around the topic of digital identity. For a long  time, we’ve been experts on how to deliver secure and reliable titles, deliver identity on a plastic  card, vet identity, etc. Those things are still important, but they need to advance into the digital realm.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Everybody knows I’m a bit of a nerd. I love playing Dungeons & Dragons and hosting (“DM-ing”) games with colleagues and family. I fly drones and radio-controlled airplanes in my spare time. And I do a little bit of personal software development; I like to tinker and build little pet projects. I’ve been married for 26 years, and we have four kids and a dog. I’m a lucky guy!