7:30 am - 12:00 pm
Registration
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Traditional Past Presidents' Breakfast
Join us for breakfast, sponsored by U-Haul, to recognize the esteemed past presidents from Region 2.
9:15 am - 10:45 am
CONCURRENT SESSIONS
From Tension to Resolution: Mastering De-Escalation at the Front Counter
Your front-line staff face increasingly challenging customer interactions every day. This session equips leaders with proven training approaches to prepare employees for volatile situations and difficult encounters. Featuring insights from experienced trainers, you'll explore effective de-escalation techniques, scenario-based training methods, and strategies for building staff confidence in high-pressure moments. Learn how to create a culture of safety, reduce workplace incidents, and empower your team to turn potentially dangerous situations into positive resolutions. Protect your people while maintaining excellent customer service.
Let's Get Digital!
This session will provide an in‑depth update on the continued evolution of the mobile driver license (mDL) ecosystem by highlighting key progress across jurisdictions, including lessons learned from implementation, integration, and stakeholder coordination. The session will underscore the critical role of the AAMVA Digital Trust Service (DTS) in ensuring interoperability, security, and trust across the mDL landscape and explore strategies for effective Relying Party outreach and engagement, emphasizing how early collaboration supports adoption and consistent user experiences.
10:45 am - 11:00 am
Transition Break
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Internal Fraud: From Detection to Prevention
Internal fraud is an ongoing threat to daily operations and continually evolves, making it difficult to detect and prevent. This session will examine case studies in internal fraud, allowing for a robust discussion on lessons learned and methods to detect and prevent fraud within your own agency.
Trust Starts with Establishment: Ensuring Common Practices in Identity Confirmation at Issuance
As mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) gain traction, relying parties are paying closer attention to how identity credentials are issued, not just how they’re presented. This session explores why strong identity establishment processes, rooted in standards and best practices, are critical for trust. We’ll examine the gaps that create uncertainty for relying parties, what alignment across issuance practices could look like, and the concrete steps needed to ensure credentials are consistently trustworthy. Join us to unpack how strengthening issuance standards can build confidence in both REAL ID and non-REAL ID credentials alike.
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Awards Luncheon
Join us for a luncheon that recognizes excellence in the motor vehicle and law enforcement community by honoring individuals, teams, and organizations as 2026 AAMVA Awards Program winners from Region 2.
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Vehicle Fraud
Fighting vehicle fraud is a challenge in every jurisdiction. Hear how one jurisdiction works to build partnerships with car dealers to educate them on identifying fraud when it comes for a test drive.
Change Management Fundamentals: Understanding the Human Side of Organizational Transformation
Before you can manage change, you need to understand how people experience it. This foundational session begins with the core principles of change management: how individuals process change, the psychological stages people move through during transitions, and why even positive changes can create resistance. Drawing on toolkits and proven frameworks, you'll explore different approaches for guiding people through change, from early awareness to full adoption. Learn to recognize where employees are in the change journey, adapt your strategies to meet people where they are, and build the organizational capacity needed for successful transformation. Whether you're preparing for system modernization, process redesign, or service delivery changes, this session provides the essential foundation for leading your team through any transition with greater confidence and effectiveness.
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Transition Break
2:45 pm - 3:45 pm
CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Novice Driver Safety: Efforts to Improve Driving Outcomes for New Operators
A number of jurisdictions have taken various actions related to novice driving, including expanding access to driver education, applying GDL restrictions to older novice drivers, and other efforts. Join this session to learn more about the latest in this area.
Creating Service Centers That Protect Staff and Enhance Customer Flow
The physical design of your service centers directly impacts both employee safety and operational efficiency. This session showcases best practices in service center design, highlighting successful approaches from leading jurisdictions. Explore how strategic space planning, security features, and customer flow design work together to reduce wait times, minimize staff exposure to threats, and create a safer, more efficient environment. From new construction to facility retrofits, you'll discover practical design principles and emerging best practices that can be adapted to your jurisdiction's unique needs and constraints.
3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Transition Break
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Playing Your Cards Right
This session will emphasize the critical role of strong identity vetting by Issuing Authorities and the importance of secure card construction. It will also provide updates on card security trends, current AAMVA Card Design Standards, and collective strategies to help reduce synthetic fraud across the ecosystem.
Tag, You’re It: Rethinking Temporary Plates, Visibility, and Verification
Temporary license plates are essential to the vehicle registration process, but they have become an increasing source of fraud, enforcement challenges, and public safety concerns. This session examines the key issues surrounding temporary plates, including counterfeiting, inconsistent state policies, and cross-jurisdictional enforcement difficulties.
Attendees will hear from practitioners and explore emerging technology and policy solutions designed to strengthen the integrity of the temporary plate process. Join us for a candid discussion on how states and agencies can work together to address one of today's most pressing registration challenges.
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Texas State Reception and Banquet
Join us as we celebrate the conclusion of the 2026 Region 2 Conference in true Texas style! This special evening will feature the swearing-in of new Region 2 Board members and a warm welcome to our incoming hosts from South Carolina for the 2027 Region 2 conference. Enjoy an evening of networking, recognition, and celebration as we close out another successful conference together.