Women in Consumer Technology

2014 Legacy Awards Reception
2014-01-07 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Unnamed Venue, Paris Hotel, Champagne Ballroom Two, United States
Congratulations to our fabulous roster of Honorees we celebrated at the 5th Annual Women in CE Legacy Award Networking Reception on Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 at CES. Thanks to Michelle Troupe and our Master of Ceremonies, Tara Dunion.

2014 Legacy Award Honorees are:
Sandra Benedetto, THX Ltd.,
Director, Product Management
Deena Ghazarian, Monster Products
VP of Sales and Strategy
Kathleen Thomas, AudioQuest
VP Domestic Sales
Tricia Parks, Parks Associates
Founder and CEO
New! 2014 A Woman to Watch
Nicole Yelland, Livio
Director of Marketing & Communications
2nd Annual Carol Campbell Inspiration Award
Deb Kassoff, CEA
Senior Manager of Member Programs

CEDIA EXPO 2013 Breakfast
2013-09-28 07:30 - 08:30 | Unnamed Venue, Denver Convention Center Four Seasons Ballroom 4, Denver, CO, United States
Thank everyone for joining us this past September 28, 2013, from 7:30 – 8:30 am, at the Colorado Convention Center, Four Season Ballroom 4, for our 5th annual CEDIA EXPO breakfast. Sep
Check out the video!
Our guest speaker was Nicole Mangina. Nicole is the founder and CEO of The Success Perspective. A company known for producing quick solid and enviable resutls based upon Nicole’s finely hone insight and perceptive strategies. A master in the art of sales and productivity, Nicole’s a natural when it comes to inspriring others to take action and achieve success in both business and life.

Forum 2013, Empower Your Entrepreneurial Spirit—A Career Enhancement Forum
2013-06-25 | Unnamed Venue, Rubin Museum of Art 150 West 17th Street New York City, New York City, NY, United States
Women in Consumer Electronics (CE), an organization focused on empowering women, building networks, and supporting career opportunities in the consumer electronics industry has yet again provided a full house of participants with valuable industry perspectives and solid career advice. Featuring inspiring talks by Kay Koplovitz, chairman and co-founder of Springboard Enterprises, Ideapreneur Sam Horn, and bestselling-author and TV co-host Mika Brzezinski, the second annual Women in CE Career Enhancement Forum entitled “Empower Your Entrepreneurial Spirit” provided attendees with uplifting sessions geared at augmenting professional empowerment, promoting business success, and sharing best practices from the CE community. In a survey conducted the week after the event, more than 50% of the sold-out event is new attendees to the Forum. 100% of respondents said they will attend the 2014 Forum.
“There were so many great ideas and information that came out of this dynamic one-day event,” said Maureen Jenson, editor-in-chief, Technology Integrator. “As participants, we left inspired, invigorated, and more empowered to think big about how our roles affect the industry. Revisiting our respective professional and personal goals, we have enormous momentum going forward thanks to a truly uplifting event.”
Kay Koplovitz, the forum’s opening speaker, launched the conference with a powerhouse keynote address, which focused on inspiring women entrepreneurs to be more ambitious when growing their companies. During the session, she shared case studies and particular business insights from Springboard Enterprises – an organization that selects, trains, and presents women-led companies to raise venture capital. Kay is the founder of USA Networks, The SYFY Channel and a game changing entrepreneur, having held such titles as Chairman of the Board, Fifth & Pacific (Formerly Liz Claiborne Inc.); Chairman and CEO, Koplovitz & Company; Chairman & Co-Founder, Springboard Enterprises. In 1998, President Clinton appointed Koplovitz to chair the bipartisan National Women’s Business Council.
The forum’s closing keynote was brilliantly delivered by Mika Brzezinski who discussed how today’s successful women have achieved their deserved recognition and financial worth in the workplace. The New York Times bestselling author of “Knowing Your Value” and the co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” inspired the audience with insights into equal pay issues, women in the boardroom, and candid personal tales on what it takes to achieve your goals. The talk also provided a memorable conclusion to the Forum by inviting an audience member onstage to determine her true worth and discover her authentic voice.
“The Women in CE conference has given me an entirely new perspective on my career,” stated Debbie Durden, Residential Strategic Marketing Manager, AMX. “I have never felt such camaraderie within an industry-related community, where we learned the importance of recognizing our individual worth and gaining courage from our collective influence as women. We spoke frankly about how to achieve respect in the workplace and I feel very motivated, harnessing this passion going forward.”
Also on the agenda was the return of Ideapreneur Sam Horn, author of POP!, who presented a session titled “OWN IT! How to Give and Get the Respect You Deserve.” Featured on MSNBC, BusinessWeek.com, Fastcompany.com, and in The New York Times, she provided the audience with concrete methodologies for communicating with confidence, approaches for increasing their influence within the marketplace, and how to obtain specific, desired results.
Other one-of-a-kind workshops included Springboard Enterprise’s “Dolphin Tank.” Amy Millman, president of Springboard Enterprises, adapted its popular Dolphin Tank workshop for Women in CE where audience members presented their business challenges and growth opportunities to an experienced panel of experts. The session delivered a vision-expanding experience on valuable considerations to help take any business to the next level. Guest panelists included Angela Lee, founder of 37 Angels Investment Network, Sandra Kresch, president of PSD International, Debra Filtzer, American Express Merchant Services, and Sandra Benedetto, Director of Product Management at THX Ltd.
Additionally, a highlight of the Forum was “The Merits of Mentoring” panel, which addressed the benefits of solid mentorship for both mentors and mentees of any age or stage of their careers. Maureen Jenson, editor-in-chief of Technology Integrator, Tell and CEDIA’s Electronic Lifestyles® moderated the panel. Panelists included Jeannette Howe, executive director, Specialty Electronics Nationwide, Katy Papadopoulos, director of all things creative at SheLuvsTech, Andrea Smith, an award-winning news and technology journalist, and Petro Shimonishi, global business team leader for headphones at D&M Holdings Inc.
“The Women in CE Forum has fueled new ambitions in both my professional and personal life,” said Marcia Barahona, marketing manager, trade shows and events, Core Brands. “Unlike conferences where presenters offer only slight variations on a common narrative, this gathering has given us practical tools and winning strategies that are easy to sustain beyond the context of the conference. I am anxious to apply these new approaches to my objectives and am already looking forward to next year’s event.”
Sponsors of the Women in CE Career Enhancement Forum included Monster, Inc.; Core Brands: ATON, BlueBOLT, ELAN, Furman, Niles, Panamax, Proficient, SpeakerCraft, Sunfire, Xantech; Klipsch; Crestron; Atlona; Mack Worldwide Warranty; Velodyne; Consumer Electronics Association (CEA); American Express Open; DEOS; Crimson; Lutron; SiriusXM; Polk Audio; Azione; Bedrock Learning; Consumer Technology Publishing Group (CTPG): Technology Integrator, Dealerscope, Home Entertainment Source (HES), Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA); Specialty Electronics Nationwide (SEN); Springboard Enterprises; Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA); and InfoComm International.
Information on how to become a member of Women in CE is available at www.WomenInCE.org.

WomenInCE Ce Week 2013
2013-06-20
CE Week in NYC
Thanks to all for making CE Week in NYC a success!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=X7IHYOK1T88

4th Annual Legacy Award Reception
2013-01-08
Women in CE honored 5 outstanding women at 4th annual Legacy Awards Reception during International CES on Tuesday, January 8, 2013.
This year’s honorees were top-level executives from the nonprofit, publishing, retail, training, and marketing sectors. In addition, the organization recognized WOLF and Best Buy with the Carol Campbell Inspiration Award.
“Our members continue to inspire us with their remarkable contributions to the consumer electronics industry,” said Carol Campbell, founder of Women in CE. “This year’s honorees are leaders that have displayed a sustained commitment to innovation, growth, and continuous improvement within a broad range of industry areas. We look forward to celebrating the success of these five distinguished women at this year’s event.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YwOIQoKfNLc
The Master of Ceremonies was Tricia Nystrom, Senior Merchant, Audio, Best Buy.
Please join us in congratulating the recipients of the 2013 Women in CE Legacy Awards:
Tara Dunion, Senior Director, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
Tara Dunion brings more than fifteen years of promotions and media experience to her role as spokeswoman and senior director of event communications for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). She is responsible for communications to the more than 5,000 global media who attend and cover the International CES, the world’s largest innovation event. Since arriving in the post five years ago, she has helped increase CES media coverage by 30 percent. Tara also created the International CES’ social media strategy, launching CEA’s blog, Digital Dialogue, and other CES social media activities. In 2010, Engadget named Tara as a “Top Tech Women to Follow on Twitter,” and she is a frequent speaker on the use of social media for event promotion. Prior to joining CEA in June 2002, Tara worked at international PR agencies Burston-Marsteller and Fleishman-Hillard, developing PR campaigns for technology clients Intel, Motorola and Sun Microsystems. Tara graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in Public Policy. She lives in Arlington, Va., with her husband and two sons.
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Marcia Grand, Vice President and Publisher, TWICE
Marcia Grand is Vice President and Publisher of TWICE, a leading consumer electronics industry trade publication she helped found in 1986. She started her career as a publisher’s assistant at Audio Times Magazine, where she learned the basics of publishing. Ms. Grand moved up to ad sales and later associate publisher of Consumer Electronics Magazine. In 1986, she left her position at CE to join in the launch of TWICE. In 1999, Ms. Grand was given the ADL Electronics Torch of Liberty Award and in 2004 was awarded the Passion for Winning Award from Reed Business Information.
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Mindy Grossman, Chief Executive Officer & Director, HSN, Inc.
Mindy Grossman is Chief Executive Officer of HSN, Inc. and a member of the company’s Board of Directors. She oversees a retail portfolio which generates more than $3.2 billion in revenue and encompasses the multichannel retailers of HSN and Cornerstone. Since joining the company in 2006, HSN.com has become a top-ten most trafficked ecommerce site, with digital sales accounting for more than 35% of HSN’s total revenues. A 35-year veteran of the retail and apparel industries, Ms. Grossman served as Global Vice-President of Nike and led the company’s $4 billion apparel business from 2000 to 2006. In addition, she was responsible for the development and growth of Nike’s global women’s business and served as Co-chair of its Women’s Leadership Council. Prior to Nike, Ms. Grossman held executive positions at Polo Jeans Company, Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Chaps Ralph Lauren, Warnaco, Tommy Hilfiger, and Oxford Industries.
In 2012, Forbes magazine named Ms. Grossman one of the world’s 100 most powerful women, an honor she has received three times. In 2011, she was named Corporate Innovator of the Year at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Florida Awards, and was recognized as one of Fast Company’s Top 100 Most Creative People in Business. In both 2010 and 2011, Ms. Grossman was ranked by the Financial Times as one of the top 50 women in world business. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Retail Federation, Bloomin’ Brands and U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
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Helen Heneveld, Founder and President, Bedrock Learning, Inc.
Helen Heneveld, MBA, is a CEDIA Installer 1 Certified and CEA-CompTIA DHTI+ Certified industry expert who speaks and consults worldwide in the converging home systems industry. Her early entry into the 1980s home automation installation business and her years in industry training make her contributions valuable as a current board member for CEA Tech Home Division and past member on the CEDIA Board of Directors – where she was the first female certified installer in 1992 and first woman board member in 1995. She is co-author of the first and second editions of DHTI+ Home Technology Integrator All-In-One Exam Guide by McGraw-Hill and author of Residential Technologies Terms and Definitions. Passionate about the industry, Heneveld leads BedrockLearning.com in providing effective, convenient and affordable training and resource materials to the connected technologies industry.
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Marla Suttenberg, Owner, Sapphire Marketing LLC
As the head of a manufacturers’ representative organization supporting the residential custom installation and commercial integration markets in the Northeast U.S., Marla Suttenberg will be celebrating her company’s 12-year anniversary this January. Marla began her career in the commercial audio/visual space and considers herself fortunate to have entered the Consumer Electronics industry nearly 20 years ago. For once, she felt she was able to explain what she did for a living to friends and family, using consumer-friendly terms such as “home theater” and “smart home/home automation.” For the past 23 years, she has been the exclusive Northeast sales representative for Crestron Electronics, and currently represents other industry leaders such as Digital Projection et. al. Since owning her own business, Marla has made a conscious decision to employ several women as outside Regional Sales Managers who share the same passion she does for her customers and the technology she represents. Marla has served on the Board of Directors of IPRO for the past three years, and is the Membership Chairperson for the group. She is a member of CEDIA, CEA, InfoComm and other industry associations.
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This year, Women in CE recognizes Best Buy’s Women Leadership Forum (WOLF) with the Carol Campbell Inspiration Award. The honor will be presented to Liz Haesler, Merchandising Vice President – Appliances, Trend, Home Essentials and Pacific Sales and Leader of WOLF.
Liz Haesler is Vice President and Global Merchant for Appliances, Pacific Sales, Trend and Home Essentials for Best Buy Co, Inc. With more than 25 years of retail savvy and innovation, she also serves as the executive sponsor of WOLF (Women’s Leadership Forum), a vast network of thousands of Best Buy employees who work with individuals, brands, partners, stores, and communities to help Best Buy build strong women leaders and identify ways to capture a greater share of the female consumer electronics market.
In 2007 Haesler established the Best Buy Trend Team to research and implement new customer strategies including the integration of fashion and design into the consumer electronics category. She has also worked on increasing the company’s market share with female consumers through her role as vice president of customer centricity. In addition, she served as vice president of customer research and development for home theater and home life. Prior to Best Buy, Haesler served as the executive vice president of TV, merchandising, marketing, internet and production for ShopNBC and senior as vice president of women’s apparel at Marshall Field’s, a division of Target Corporation.
Haesler has also been involved with numerous leadership training programs through Best Buy, including WOLF, Lean Six Sigma and Winning Culture Programs. She also served as a board member of several organizations such as the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, the Jungle Theater, and is an active member in a local women’s leadership group. Haesler is a graduate of Kenyon College.
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Women in CE provides women in the CE industry with a community in which to share essential resources and connect with others who are focused on the same vision of empowerment, building networks, and supporting career opportunities. Member benefits include a mentoring program, online resources, and live events.
More information about the 2013 Legacy Awards Networking Reception and about Women in CE is available at www.womenince.org.
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About Women in CE
Women in CE is an interactive community created to provide women in the consumer electronics industry an environment promoting networking and professional growth through the development of relationships and new opportunities. For additional information about membership benefits and to join, please visit www.WomenInCE.org.
Blog: http://www.womenince.org/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WomenInCE
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/WomenInCE
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WomeninCE

Women in CE 2012 CEDIA EXPO Breakfast
2012-09-08
Annual Women in CE CEDIA EXPO Breakfast Sells Out for Fourth Straight Year
Women in Consumer Electronics (CE) today announced that the organization’s annual CEDIA EXPO breakfast reception sold out for the fourth year in a row. Highlights of this year’s breakfast at CEDIA EXPO 2012 in Indianapolis included an inspirational keynote address by Gail Kasper – author of “Another Day Without a Cage: My Breakthrough From Self-Imprisonment to Total Empowerment.” In addition, Helen Heneveld of Bedrock Learning, Inc. was recognized with the Volunteer of the Year Award.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5Z1OTYTy90Y
Gail Kasper is a television host, author, advice columnist, Ms. Continental America 2008, and one of the nation’s leading speakers. In her presentation “Breakthrough,” Kasper motivated the crowd with a message of fearlessness, sharing valuable insights from the real-life journey described in her inspirational autobiography. Through stories of powerful successes, heartbreaking failures, inner passion, and humor, she addressed the benefits of self-guidance and the means for building a rewarding career.
In recognition of her invaluable contributions to Women in CE as a volunteer, Helen Heneveld was honored at the event with the organization’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Heneveld is a well-respected and recognized expert who speaks and consults worldwide in the converging home systems industry. She founded Bedrock Learning, Inc. to serve the fast-growing CE industry with effective, convenient, and affordable educational materials and training. Heneveld serves on the Board of Directors of CEA, Tech Home Division, and is also a past board member and the first woman board member of CEDIA. Helen is also the first female CEDIA certified installer.
The fourth annual eventa was sponsored by Monster, CEDIA, Chief, CTPG, Da-Lite, Epson, Magnolia/Best Buy, Sanus, Sirius XM, Stewart Filmscreen, IAV Light Speaker, Bedrock Learning, Home Entertainment Sources, Home Technology Specialists of America, Specialty Electronics Nationwide, InGear PR, Speck, Seura, Lutron and Tivoli Audio.
“This year’s breakfast was another amazing event, and I’d like to thank Gail for providing such valuabe insight for the men and women in our indurstry, and Helen for her contributions to our organization,” said Carol Campbell, found of Women in CE. “The CEDIA EXPO breakfast is not only an important and meaningful event, but it is really growing to become a highight of the show itself. Not only did we sell out the event for the fourth year in a row, but sponsorship has risen dramtically. Our sponsors help make this event possible, and I’m very grateful for their continued support.”

Power Your Career in Consumer Electronics - a Career Enhancement Forum - Follow-up
2012-06-26 22:55 - 23:55
This is a follow-up to the Power Your Career Event we held at the Rubin Museum of Art.
Please feel free to take a look at the video below for a recap.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0SduDHkN3Dw

Women in CE 3rd Annual Legacy Awards Reception at CES 2012
2012-01-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Unnamed Venue, Paris Hotel Ballroom - Champagne #2, Las Vegas, NV, United States
The Women in CE Legacy Awards honor the women in our industry that truly serve as role models and are pioneers in every way!
Please join us in celebrating their accomplishments at CES 2010. Tuesday, January 10, 2012 from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Paris Hotel.
Women in CE 2012 Legacy Award Networking Reception—Wow!
Thanks again to Gary Shapiro, CEO of CEA for his inspired remarks as the evening’s keynote speaker. We are thrilled that the room was packed with well-wishers for the five honorees and a record number of sponsors supported the evening.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=f4iRFM66rXg

3rd Annual CEDIA EXPO Breakfast 2011
2011-09-10 07:30 - 08:30 | Unnamed Venue, Indiana Convention Center, Sagamore Ballroom 7, Indianapolis, IN, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Women in CE, an industry organization which promotes the advancement of women in the consumer electronics industry, will host the 3rd Annual CEDIA EXPO Breakfast during CEDIA EXPO 2011. The sold-out, standing room only gatherings validate that the time is NOW for Women in CE. The energy in the room is electric and the smiles contagious. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and greet.
And don’t miss or Special Keynote Address from Debra Boelkes, CEO of Business World Rising Business Women Rising. A Roadmap for Leadership: We must chart a new course to think and act differently, starting today, to grow stronger leaders. The path forward begins with each of us.
Women in CE would like to thank Monster for their platinum level support. We would also like to acknowledge our gold sponsors; Sirius XM, Magnolia, Wolf@BestBuy, Stewart Filmscreen, Chief, Da-Lite, Sanus, CEDIA and the Consumer Technology Publishing Group.
The Breakfast is on Saturday morning, September 10, 2011 from 7:30 – 8:30 am and is being held on the second floor of the Indiana Convention Center in Sagamore Ballroom #7.
Advance tickets are sold out, but there may be some last minute availability at the door on Saturday morning. For more information on member benefits and to join please visit the website’s member section. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Carol Campbell at Carol@WomenInCE.org.

2011 CEA Line Show
2011-06-22
CEA Line Shows, one of the highlights of CE Week, closed out its first day with a cocktail reception hosted by the Women in CE. The highlight of the evening was Brush with Bass, featuring Noah Kaplan from Leon Speakers showcasing his artistic talent to the sound of bass.
The finished piece of art was auctioned at the end of the evening to Micky Chadha , of Saga Electronics & Interiors, Tenafly, N.J., for $1,600. All proceeds will benefit the Elf Foundation, a charity that provides Room of Magic entertainment theaters in Children’s Hospitals across the country. Celebrating their 10th anniversary, the foundation has opened 92 theaters and contributed over $5,000,000, with 98% of all expenses directly benefiting the Elf Foundation’s mission.

2011 CES Legacy Award Networking Reception
2011-01-06 06:45 - 16:00 | Unnamed Venue, Las Vegas, NV, Las Vegas, NV, United States
Join us for the Legacy Awards reception at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. Honorees include Teresa Gallo of Market Share, Kathy Gornik of THIEL, Stacey Kerek of Lenbrook America, Denise Morales-Wallace of Monster Cable, and Jill Lynch-Wenner of Best Buy.
Master of Ceremonies:
Deena Ghazarian – Director of Sales and a Business Unit Manager at Monster Cable
2011 Legacy Award Honorees:
Teresa Gallo – President, Market Share
Kathy Gornik – Owner & President, THIEL Audio
Stacey Kerek – General Manager & COO, Lenbrook America
Denise Morales-Wallace – Vice President Global Sales, Monster Cable
Jill Lynch-Wenner – Senior Merchant Mobile Electronics, Best Buy
Time:
Thursday, January 6, 2010
7:00-9:00 Ceremony at 8:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MueQyUbRMM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JahnQpngag

CEDIA 2010 Breakfast Event
2010-09-25 21:45 - 22:00 | Unnamed Venue, Atlanta, GA, Atlanta, GA, United States
Women in CE 2nd Annual CEDIA Breakfast featured Glam-Mother founder, Nellie Myers as the keynote speaker. Ms. Myers presentation on Mentoring Programs resonates with the group attending the event.
Thanks to our keynote speaker!
Nellie Myers, CEO, Glam-Mother, hails from a long career as a business strategist and coach with a passion for mentoring programs. She brings corporate experience and savvy to the advancement of women in the financial and human resources sectors of the global marketplace. Her expertise on the advancement of women in corporations and professional firms, workforce demographic trends and the business case for women’s career development has been honed by her recent role as National Client Group Leader and Portfolio Executive at Hewitt Associates.
Women in CE 2010: Volunteer of the Year Award!
For her continued support, the Women in CE recognized: Veronica Esbona, Director of Home Entertainment for Wall Street Communications as the Women in CE 2010 Volunteer of the Year at the CEDIA EXPO 2010 Breakfast Event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MxaZM4PJo0

2010 CEA Line Show
2010-06-22 | Unnamed Venue, New York, NY, New York, NY, United States
Women in CE host cocktails on day one of the CEA LineShows in NYC, June 2010.
Video: Highlights of the Women in CE cocktail party at CEA Line Shows in New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9yRVlIm1ss

2010 CES Legacy Awards
2010-01-07 19:00 - 22:00 | Unnamed Venue, Las Vegas, NV, Las Vegas
Women in CE launch CES Legacy Awards Networking Reception at International CES 2010. A good time was had by all.

CEDIA 2009 Breakfast Event
2009-09-12 22:00 - 23:00 | Unnamed Venue, Atlanta, GA, Atlanta, GA, United States
Women in CE get up really early for first-ever event. Women in CE CEDIA Breakfast a home run in September 2009.
Laynie Newsome of Vizio was the keynote speaker.
Women in CE’s Michelle Troupe introduces the Mentoring Program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HglRFxs_9K8
