Happy new year! It’s 2023—AAMVA is launching its 90th year of service—and we have a new Strategic Framework to guide our work as we approach a century of supporting North American motor vehicle and law enforcement agencies. How exciting is that?

As highlighted in this edition of MOVE Magazine, the 2023-2027 Strategic Framework reaffirms the core priorities we all expect from AAMVA while also setting a future path for managing the quickly changing technology and credentials that will further modernize motor vehicle administration and enforcement. This plan maintains our vision, updates key goals to reflect members’ evolving needs and leans on collaborative networking to learn from one another.

This rich history of collaboration just strengthens what I consider to be AAMVA’s “superpower”—the collective knowledge, strength and enthusiasm of its members. I don’t know about you, but I can not help but feel joy when I enter a room full of people that are more than willing to engage in a spirited discussion of plate laminate, ISO standards and the importance of timely driver record updates. Thank you for that. Strangely, my family and friends do not share this level of enthusiasm on these important topics. How many times can my generous offers for personalized REAL ID application counseling at holiday gatherings be rebuffed? We will just leave it at “more than once.”

While AAMVA has been cultivating this knowledge network across North America for 90 years, we know that similar efforts have been underway globally. Connecting with our worldwide partners, like EReg and Austroads, has allowed for exponential growth on several shared topics of interest. Automated vehicles, alternative fuel sources for transportation, mDLs, data sharing networks, privacy protection and a mission to improve highway safety in the communities we serve are just a few of the immediate topics that come to mind. We may approach these topics through a varying cultural lens, but the topical similarities remain. And in a world where both privacy and interoperability are valued, international collaboration on ISO standards for mDLs has been essential in moving the conversations forward. We know how powerful the collective voice of AAMVA can be. But when we find opportunities to unite with our international partners on these technology standards or communications with the auto industry, our collective voice is amplified.

So, as we kick-off this calendar year with a renewed Strategic Framework, I want to thank the AAMVA community for generously sharing your knowledge so that we can continue to learn from one another—near and far. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in the Member Needs Assessment, which guided AAMVA’s development of the 2023-2027 Strategic Framework. And thank you for being that community of people that fills a room and is always willing to talk about Safe Drivers, Safe Vehicles, Secure Identities and Saving Lives! My family thanks you for that, too, because it reduces the chance of me setting up a UV booth at the next family get-together to offer tutorials on the latest advances in security markings.