RHONDA LAHM

2018–2019 AAMVA Chair of the Board

Since beginning my year as AAMVA Chair of the Board, I have gained a renewed appreciation for the great work AAMVA undertakes on behalf of member jurisdictions. It has been a challenging, exhausting and wonderful opportunity to serve. Travel from Nebraska has not always been straightforward, but it has only solidified my preference for driving over flying.

Maintaining our focus on the customer has been an ongoing theme in my articles for MOVE. I drew on the Pareto principle and the lessons we can learn from Dr. Bell in using attention to detail to serve our customers in novel ways. The ability we have to reach the residents in each of our jurisdictions is enormous. In some cases, our agencies may be the only interaction they have with a government entity of any kind. This means how we treat our customers helps shape their impression of government services. Putting our focus on the customer helps create a lasting, positive impression and one that we must fight to maintain.

In my role, I have had the opportunity to witness the innovation our teams are putting in across multiple jurisdictions. I have seen firsthand the dedication and hard work of staff. AAMVA plays a crucial role in harnessing the ingenuity across our jurisdictions. It provides a platform for us to pull resources and develop creative solutions to shared problems. Often the problems we face have been solved before elsewhere.

In my first article as Chair, I quoted Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This rings just as true today as it did when I took over the role last year. Despite changing technology and increasing customer expectations, we continue to develop creative solutions, with AAMVA there to help along the way. I am excited to see what comes next. It has been a pleasure to serve over the past year. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing how we grow and develop over the coming years.

WHITNEY BREWSTER

2019–2020 AAMVA Chair of the Board

Each year, I look forward to reading the welcome message from the incoming AAMVA Chair of the Board and staying engaged on the issues most important to the motor vehicle and law enforcement community. This year, I find myself writing that message, and I want you to stay engaged!

AAMVA’s most valuable resource is you: its members. The strength and success of the association lies in the engagement of  its members. When our industry, federal partners and jurisdictions stay involved, we can focus on innovative solutions that truly make a difference to the customers we serve. Through our collective conversations and association resources, we can help each other meet the challenges of today, tomorrow and beyond.

In the early days of my DMV career, I knew relatively little about the industry. Fortunately, I received a call one day from the California DMV Director at the time, George Valverde. He introduced me to AAMVA and encouraged me to attend a conference. I took him up on the invitation and I’ve been involved ever since. Through AAMVA, I have gained critical knowledge from my jurisdictional and industry colleagues on how to do my job better and ultimately better serve our customers.

Every time I attend an AAMVA meeting or connect with colleagues from across North America, I listen, learn and share. Don’t miss out on the opportunities to do the same. Relationship building is one of the most valuable and immeasurable benefits of AAMVA membership.

Another valuable resource is your own community. Whether you are a law enforcement agency protecting and serving the public, or an organization providing essential services such as driver licensing, vehicle registration or highway construction, it is imperative to stay engaged with those whom you serve.

Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to serve you over the next year. I am honored, humbled and looking forward to the great things we can do together.