This award's overall purpose is to call out an individual recognized by association members and the industry as worthy of a lifetime achievement award. Two major criteria are applied — the career accomplishments and the individual's contribution to the AV industry through AVIXA. The Mackey Barron Distinguished Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed on an industry member by the association. 

Read about how AVIXA renamed the Distinguished
Achievement Award in memory of Mackey Barron

2018 Mackey Baron Distinguished Achievement Award

Mike Weems, CTS
Retired, Harman

As the professional AV industry began to take its current form, Weems, whose career included positions at Sony, InFocus, NetStreams, Sanyo and Harman, understood that without training, certification and standardization, the industry couldn’t grow and reach its potential. Starting almost from scratch, Weems and a team of industry volunteers created the framework that still exists today and helped advance the careers of thousands of AV professionals.

This award highlights important contributions made by industry individuals to the science of AV. The award calls attention to the AV and information communications industries by recognizing pioneers who made scientific breakthroughs resulting in new AV technologies that impacted the manufacture and sales of novel products enjoyed by audiences worldwide.

2018 Adele De Berri Pioneers of AV Award

Pat Quilter
Founder and Chairman of the Board, QSC

Barry and John Andrews
Founders, QSC

What started 50 years ago as Quilter Sound Company became QSC under founders Quilter and the Andrews brothers, leading technological advances across several audio product categories. One of the honorees’ lasting legacies, since the time Quilter personally led QSC’s original development team, was in the advancement of power amplifier technology. QSC also drove innovation in powered loudspeakers, and recently, the founders saw to fruition their almost-20-year vision of software-based processing.

2018 Fred Dixon Service in Education Award

Scott Sharer
Owner and Senior Consulting Engineer
Communication Design Group

A one-time Educator of the Year, Sharer has been a pioneering, influential and popular instructor at InfoComm shows and other industry events around the world. Sharer created some of the industry’s first videoconferencing training, made engaging through his use of digital technologies so that students could experience as they learned. Sharer pioneered many of the best practices that define modern unified communications and collaboration. The author of hundreds of articles and books, he is recognized worldwide as an expert in videoconference system and network design.

This award recognizes Certified Technology Specialist™ holders (CTS, CTS-D and/or CTS-I) who are achieving rewarding and successful careers in the audiovisual and information communications industries.

2018 CTS Holder of the Year Award

Michael Pedersen, CTS-D, CTS-I
Senior Staff Engineer, Mechdyne

In 1999, Pedersen was the sixth full-time Mechdyne employee. In 2012, he became one of only about 300 AV professionals worldwide to hold both CTS-D and CTS-I certifications. He is a consummate volunteer and educator. In addition to being an AVIXA adjunct faculty member, he gives his time and expertise to the local Marshalltown (Iowa) High School, Marshalltown Community College, and nearby Iowa State University. Committed to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education, Pedersen is also a member of Iowa's STEM Advisory Council.

This award highlights important contributions made by an individual to the professional development, education, and training of the AV industry. These contributions have impacted audiences worldwide. This award is presented annually for outstanding achievement in AV education for that particular year.

2018 Educator of the Year Award

Hope Roth, CTS
Lead Programmer, Riordan Brothers

Roth was a member of the inaugural class of AVIXA/IMCCA Emerging Trends Fellows at InfoComm 2017, where she presented on the future of control systems programming. She also taught the three-day CTS Prep course at the 2017 show and continues to spearhead a CTS study group to help women in commercial AV attain their industry certification.

This award recognizes women who are achieving rewarding and successful careers in the audiovisual and information communications industries.

2018 Women in AV Awards

Maricel Cruz
Audiovisual Engineer, ASTAD

Cruz is a talented, committed AV engineer based in Doha, Qatar. In her 10 years in the industry, she was worked on more than 30 major projects across the Middle East, including the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, the Qatar National Library, and the National Museum of Qatar. At ASTAD, she is a driving force behind the implementation of company standards, best practices and specifications. Colleagues call Cruz a role model for other women in the region, demonstrating ways to impact the workplace and make significant contributions to business outcomes.

Samantha Phenix
Vice President, Research and Development, Leyard and Planar

Phenix’s 20-year career has spanned engineering, business development, and corporate leadership. She has been named on various technology patents, innovated display technology across multiple demanding vertical markets, and maintained leadership roles at companies such as Leyard and Planar, Intel, Dell, and Barco. Phenix serves on the Board of AVIXA, as well as the AVIXA Foundation. In 2017, she was recognized as an Industry Innovator by NewBay Media.

This award calls attention to individuals who contribute to the association’s mission. This award winner is determined by AVIXA staff.

2018 Harald Thiel Volunteer of the Year Award

Rodrigo Ordóñez, CTS-D
Principal, K2 Audio

Ordóñez is a longtime AVIXA volunteer, serving currently on the Certification Steering Committee. Over the last seven years, he has also served on the CTS-D Item Writing, CTS Renewal, and Appeals subcommittees, as well as the CTS Scheme Review subcommittee, which has been active in re-evaluating the CTS structure and recommending changes to the exam. Ordóñez is also a veteran AVIXA instructor, teaching network technologies at the InfoComm show in the United States and in-language AV content at InfoComm events in Latin America.

Dick Tollberg, CTS-D
Senior Design Engineer, AVI-SPL

One of AVIXA’s most widely accepted standards is AVIXA V202.01:2016 Display Image Size for 2D Content in Audiovisual Systems (DISCAS). One of DISCAS’ earliest developers and ongoing champions is longtime AVIXA volunteer Tollberg. He served on the task group that created the standard and recently spearheaded the creation of the DISCAS “calculator”—an online tool for crunching the numbers necessary for creating an optimal viewing experience.

This award calls attention to the AV industry by recognizing that young people are achieving rewarding and successful careers in the audiovisual and information communications industries.

2018 Young AV Professionals Awards

Annabelle Gazzo
Director of Marketing, Media Vision

Gazzo’s multidisciplinary and multicultural background help break down silos and advance the AV industry in an integrated fashion. She operates in nine global markets, developing localized content marketing strategies in three languages. Gazzo is an advocate for diversity in the workplace and uses her legal studies to support improvements in AV business practices and human resources.

Luke Jordan, CTS-I
Account Manager, Electro Acoustics

Jordan was 2016 CTS Holder of the Year and serves as Chair of the AVIXA Integrators Council. He is a champion of AVIXA certifications and led Electro Acoustics to attain the designation of AVIXA Audiovisual Provider of Excellence (APEx). Jordan and his team at Electro Acoustics have created a farm system, partnering with local community colleges to identify qualified individuals, offer training, and guide them toward rewarding AV careers.