This award recognizes an AAMVA member jurisdiction employee or other individual in motor vehicle administration whose primary function is directly associated with highway and traffic safety efforts and who has had a distinguished career in this arena. The individual can be currently active or retired. 

This award is presented at the international level. Award nominations are from a chief motor vehicle or chief law enforcement administrator only. In the event that the chief administrator is the nominee, the nomination can be submitted by a deputy administrator.

Each agency may submit only ONE nominee.

Criteria for selection:

• Extent of lifetime contributions and achievements
• Impact on roadway safety

2026 Winner

Catherine Curtis

Deputy Secretary of State, Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles

Over the last 48 years, Deputy Secretary of Maine’s BMV and member of AAMVA’s International Board of Directors Catherine Curtis, known as Cathie to those fortunate enough to have met her, has dedicated her life to the world of motor vehicles and the people who work within it.

In the private sector, Cathie has been deeply involved in AAMVA’s mission and has influenced policy across North America. She has been involved at every level in a range of AAMVA’s policies relating to roadway safety, developed guidelines for regulating autonomous vehicles, 3-wheel vehicles and off-road vehicles. Under her guidance license plate standards were improved, alongside imported, salvage and junked vehicle policies.

Her work in the public sector has been perhaps even more impactful. Cathie has made key impacts in policy with Maine’s State Legislature related to roadway safety. She’s specifically made significant change relating to experimental vehicles usage, motorcycle and moped training, commercial vehicle registration, off-road and non-conforming vehicles, imported vehicles, driver education, impaired driving and insurance requirements among much more.

Cathie has also served the people of Maine on the Vehicle Inspection Program Review Board, Traffic Research Coordinating Committee, and Maine Transportation Safety Committee (MTSC). In addition to all of that, she rallied the BMV’s employees to look towards the future, cementing their strategic plan for the next four years. She then became the leading voice in creating a new general issue license plate for the entire state of Maine, a task not completed by anyone for nearly a quarter of a century which was driven by the need to ensure the roads are safer with identifiable license plates.

Her most notable impact, however, is on the lives on the people who work beside her every single day. The team at the BMV, and even the wider Secretary of State (SOS), look to her not only as their leader, but as someone who has made impacts on their personal and professional lives.

The Director of Organization Development at Human Resources for the SOS Matthew Caldwell remarked on Cathie, “Cathie has always stood up for what’s right. Even when it wasn’t easy. She leads with principle and heart.”

The Director of Legal Affairs, Adjudications and Hearings for the BMV Lynne Gardner noted that, "Her genuine concern and continuous focus on the wellbeing and job satisfaction of bureau staff members inspires their passion to go above and beyond every day for the public they serve. In this way, she is truly exceptional.”

Cathie’s own Secretary Specialist, Tina Corkum, said, "Early in her career, she encountered leaders that made their staff feel small and unheard. She was even told by a supervisor at one point that professionally she would never go far.” Tina continued, “Now, as the leader of the BMV in Maine, she will go out of her way to let her people know how much she cares for them, and the mission we set out to achieve. I’ve never felt more appreciated as an employee.”

Cathie’s relentless energy and successes have been recognized before. In 2011 she received a Special Achievement award from the Maine Transportation Safety Coalition (MTSC) for efforts in highway safety and an award from the State of Maine recognizing her over 30 years of motor vehicle achievements, leadership and friendship. In 2017 she won the AAMVA Chair’s Award of Excellence and Achievement.