Thank you all for joining us for such a special day.
Today Carol Howard will be officially sworn in as the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles.
I'll start by recognizing some important guests-first, Carol's mother, Mrs. Mary Pierce.
Carol's husband, B.J. Howard, is also here, along with Carol's two children, her son Bryan Cash and daughter Suzanne LeDoyen (LUH-DOY-EN) and Suzanne's husband Jason.
Also here are Carol's sister Ann Lanier and her brother-in-law, Jim.
Although Carol takes the Oath of Office today, as all of you know, she has actually been serving in this role since May.
Carol's in-depth knowledge of DMV and its operations-as well as her talent for leadership-made her a natural choice as Commissioner.
She joined the Division of Motor Vehicles in 1965 as a title examiner and advanced into a number of positions in the vehicle registration section, including administrative officer and assistant director, before being named director seven years ago.
While serving as Director of Vehicle Registration, she led the development of the State Titling and Registration System, an automated vehicle tracking system known as STARS.
Carol is an asset to my leadership team because she shares my commitment to creative solutions and improving efficiency through technology.
In addition to overseeing daily operations and working with the legislature, Carol has overseen several new initiatives at DMV.
Under her leadership, DMV unveiled a new online program in August for issuing replacement licenses and address changes.
Carol also led the effort to tighten regulations for issuing driver licenses, implementing these efforts two months ahead of time and she is working to establish a Fraudulent I.D. Help Desk as a resource center for examiners.
Carol has also answered my charge to look for efficiencies and is currently reviewing internal processes to make DMV as efficient as possible.
Carol is active in the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and currently chairs the Advisory Council for a new Certification Program for Vehicle Registration Document Examiners.
Most important of all, Carol is a wonderful person.
It's very clear that she cares deeply about her employees and for this she has earned their respect and admiration.
Carol is also a dedicated public servant and is committed to ensuring that the citizens of this state receive the highest possible level of customer service.
At this time, I'll ask Justice Sarah Parker from the N.C. Supreme Court to deliver the Oath of Office.
(JUSTICE PARKER DELIVERS OATH TO CAROL.)
Thank you, Justice Parker.
Carol, would you like to give a response?
(CAROL GIVES BRIEF RESPONSE.)
Thank you, Carol.
I'd like to thank everyone for joining us today, and please stay behind for a reception in Carol's honor.