The International Communications Industries Association, Inc.® (ICIA®) has announced the results of elections for the 2003 term of its Board of Governors and the presiding officers of its major Councils, as well as appointments of Chairpersons for key Committees.
Tom Peters, CTS, Vice President of AVWashington, Sterling, has been elected ICIA’s Secretary-Treasurer. Russ Gentner, President and Chairman of Listen Technologies Corporation; Randy Klein, Vice President and COO of Crestron Electronics; and Merry S. McCleary, President and Co-founder of BCGroup, have been elected Governors-at-Large.
As is customary, Kevin Collins, CTS, HB Communications, Inc., ascended to Chairman of the Board from his service last year as President; Harald Thiel, CTS, AVW-TELAV Audio Visual Solutions, moved to President from the post of President-Elect; and Scott Walker, CTS-D, Waveguide Consulting, last year’s Secretary-Treasurer, was designated President-Elect.
In addition to the office of Secretary-Treasurer, the mail-ballot election encompassed the Chairs of ICIA’s major Councils. Re-elected to Chair the Councils were:
Mark Valenti, President, The Sextant Group, as Chairman of the Independent Consultants in AV Technologies (ICAT) Council. Ken Colson, President, E.D.A. Marketing, as Chairman of the Independent Representatives Council. Jody Thomas, CTS, President/CEO/Partner, Kayye Consulting, as Chairman of the Information Technology (IT) Council. Randy Pagnan, COO, Large Screen Displays, as Chairman of the Manufacturers Council. Ray Guyot, President, Outlook Presentations Ltd., as Chairman of the Presentations Council. Don Guzauckas, Jr., CTS, General Manager, HB Group, as Chairman of the Rental and Staging Council. Mario Porto, President, World Audio Visual Enterprises, Inc. (WAVE), as Chairman of the Sound, Audiovisual and Video Integrators (SAVVI) Council.
Newly elected to Chair Councils were:
Greg Bronson, CTS-D, Classroom Technologies Project Leader, Cornell University, as Chairman of the End Users Council. Brian Pipe, Group Operations Director, ITM Group Ltd., as Chairman of the International Council. The board of ICIA approved the shift of the erstwhile International Committee to an International Council, which will enable regional subcommittees to be formed.
In addition, ICIA President Harald Thiel appointed as Chairpersons of ICIA committees:
Blake Brubaker, CTS, Director of Home Theater Sales, Da-Lite Screen Company, Inc., as Chairman of the Exhibitor Committee. Walter Vierschilling, CEO, World Audio Visual Enterprises, Inc. (WAVE), as Chairman of the Membership Committee. Mike Weems, MCP, CTS, Senior Technical Trainer, InFocus Corporation, as Chairman of the Professional Education and Training Committee (PETC).
All Council and Committee Chairs are members of the Board of Governors.
"We’re pleased at the smoothness of the ICIA election process, and are looking forward to a highly productive year filled with new activities and initiatives," said ICIA Executive Director Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D.
Tom Peters, ICIA’s new Secretary-Treasurer, has been active in the industry for nearly 30 years. Mr. Peters is a member of the SAVVI Council and a proponent of ICIA-based training, having instituted mandatory training for his employees at AVWashington, using ICIA’s Academy Online as the foundation. Mr. Peters previously chaired the Administration and Finance Council, served on the Board of Governors in 2002, and is a member of the Board of Professional Systems Network, Inc. During his 12-year tenure at AVWashington, the company has grown five-fold, and become recognized as a leader in its field.
Russell Gentner, elected Governor-at-Large, founded Gentner Communications Corporation in 1981, serving as president and CEO through 1997. In 1998, he founded Listen Technologies. He previously served on ICIA’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and as a Board Member for the University of Utah Broadcast Council, and Great Western Bank. He has earned BSEE and MBA Degrees from the University of Utah.
Randy Klein, elected Governor-at-Large, has been active in the industry for more than 30 years. Mr. Klein is a member of the BOG Executive Committee, Exhibitor Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and Nominating Committee. His contributions include building the foundation for the development of ICIA’s Networking School, Install School and Manufacturer Training at InfoComm. At Crestron, he has been instrumental in its worldwide growth to a $150-million company and recognition as the market leader in control systems.
Merry S. McCleary, also elected Governor-at-Large, has been involved in the industry for over 15 years. Beginning in sales and regional management for the presentation division of Lanier Worldwide, she later joined Spectrum Data Systems in integrated sales. As President of BCG, Ms. McCleary continues to be highly involved in system design, as well as the development of a systematic approach to the implementation process. She strongly believes ICIA’s focus on education is imperative to maintaining a high level of integrity within the industry.
The International Communications Industries Association, Inc.® (ICIA®) is the premier trade association for the professional audiovisual communications industry. ICIA is the founder of InfoComm, the conference and trade exposition for audiovisual communications professionals who come to learn about the latest technologies and available services as well as new and alternative applications. ICIA serves its worldwide membership as the pre-eminent provider of education, training and certification.
InfoComm is the foremost gathering of AV communications professionals who come to learn about the latest technologies and available products and services as well as new and alternative applications for systems integration. As a key industry event, InfoComm is the educational and interactive marketplace for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, systems integrators, rental and staging companies, independent representatives, independent design consultants, architects, facilities managers, engineers, presentations designers and end users, including AV and IT professionals, sales and marketing staff, meeting planners and purchasers. InfoComm attracts a broad spectrum of market sectors, including business, government, military, education, religion, health care, entertainment and conventions.