On Wednesday, the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) announced the roster of new members joining the Global Board of Directors after a “slate” vote by members recently. The trade association also announced a historic first – for the first time in its history, a woman has been selected as Chairperson of the organization.
Learn more about the changes to the CEDIA Board & Leadership
The recently elected slate of directors is scheduled to serve in the 2026-2028 term. Joining the board now are Rich Green of Rich Green Design, Jennifer Mallett of Level Up Automation, and James Ratcliffe of Homeplay Ltd.
And joining these recently elected board members are newly appointed members – appointed by the board – including Kris Hogg of Samsung and Maryellen Oswald of Somfy.
A Major Historical Milestone
Perhaps the biggest news is that, for the first time in history, a woman – Amanda Wildman of TruMedia Home, an integration company – has been selected as Chairperson of the Board. Before now, the closest a woman got to this position was Jamie Briesemeister, who in 2022 was Vice Chairperson of the Board and head of the Governance Committee.
Wildman, as Chairperson of the Board, will also head the Executive Committee. Joining her on the EC is Edward Gilmore (Vice Chairperson), Stuart Tickle (Treasurer), and James Chen (Secretary). Also serving on the Executive Committee will be Alex Capecelatro, whose role as Immediate Past Chairperson earns him a continuing role.
Wildman is the Most Powerful Person at CEDIA
In the CEDIA management structure, as Chairperson of the Board and head of the Executive Committee, Wildman holds the most power in the organization.
I am honored to be voted in as Chairperson of the CEDIA Board of Directors and am deeply grateful to our members, volunteers, and mentors who make this organization what it is. After more than a decade of volunteering and working hands-on in the field, I look forward to carrying the knowledge and experience shared by this community with me as we chart CEDIA’s course together over the next two years.
Amanda Wildman, President/Owner, TruMedia Home, CEDIA Board Chairperson, Executive Committee
First Integrator to Hold Chairperson Role After String of Vendor Executives
Wildman is the first integrator to chair the board after a series of vendor executives running the association that exists for the benefit of integrators. As she notes in her statement, she has been an active volunteer for the organization for years and an enthusiastic and vocal promoter of the Association, as well.
It is also noteworthy that the “glass ceiling” has finally been broken at CEDIA. Many integration businesses have been run or co-managed by impactful women, but it’s taken a long time for the Association to more thoroughly include them in its management.
Wildman Helped CEO Friedman ‘Understand This Industry’
CEDIA’s Board represents the best in the industry, and it is a privilege to work with them each day to guide our global trade association. From my first day as CEO, Amanda helped me understand this industry from the integrator’s point of view, even having me serve as an ‘apprentice for a day’ with her team. Her years of commitment to CEDIA as a volunteer, educator, and Board member will serve her well in this important leadership role.
Daryl Friedman, CEDIA Global President and CEO
The formal announcement did not provide a lot of details about the voting process. For example, we don’t know the vote totals for and against the slate. The announcement did say that these new directors were approved, “Following a slate vote overwhelmingly approved by CEDIA members.”
‘Slate’ Voting System – A Less Transparent Process That Minimizes Member Choice
The director selection process at CEDIA has gotten much less transparent since it went to a “slate” voting system. The Association decided to go to a slate process in 2022. It was a decision that generated some controversy within the membership. In part, some of that controversy was due to the fact that it chose to change the voting system with no notice to members.
In a slate voting process, the Board selects the candidates it wants to put on the Board and then members vote yes/no for the entire slate. Prior to that, candidates were winnowed down to a group of candidates, and members voted for their favorite selection from the pool of candidates.
One reason the Association gave for switching to a slate process is that only about 4% of members participated in the director voting process. Interestingly, in that first year of voting on a slate, 11% of the votes were against the slate, an unusually high percentage of negative votes most likely issued in protest to the change.
Congratulations to the New CEDIA Board and Chairperson
Congratulations to all the new Board members, and to Chairperson Amanda Wildman.
Learn more about CEDIA by visiting cedia.org.
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