The ballot featuring five elected director candidates for the 2021-2022 CEDIA Board of Directors is open. CEDIA is encouraging all global member companies to cast their vote for four open elected director positions.

The CEDIA Board of Directors governs the association’s activities, and is dedicated to furthering the CEDIA mission of building prosperity for its members and ensuring the growth of the industry through its programs and initiatives.

The board’s makeup reflects the geographical density of the CEDIA membership, so the forthcoming elected director positions include one CEDIA member candidate from the EMEA region and three from the rest of the global membership. The candidate from the EMEA region receiving the most votes will fill the EMEA-designated position and the top three candidates from the rest of the world will fill the remaining three seats.

Elected board members will be seated on Jan.1, 2021. The five candidates have cleared an evaluation process by the CEDIA Governance Committee and have met the competencies required to be included on the ballot.

In accordance with the Indiana Nonprofit Corporation Act of 1991, as amended (the “Act”) and the Bylaws of Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (the “Association”), notice is hereby given of proposed action by written ballot by the members of the Association. The members will be provided with the opportunity to vote by electronic written ballot provided to the members commencing 2:00 pm [Eastern] Time on Sept. 11, 2020 and ending at 5:00 pm [Eastern] Time on Oct. 21, 2020 on the following matters:

1. To elect a slate of directors to the Association’s Board of Directors.

Steven Brawner (Global Candidate)
ProAudio Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia

Steven Brawner is founder and president of ProAudio GA, which is based in the state of Georgia. A husband, father, and United States Navy veteran, he has 16 years of industry experience from all sides of the industry. Brawner has taken on positions of leadership since age 12, including critical roles in the military and several other industries. He possesses advanced electronics systems training from the Navy, and says he has always pushed the limits of what’s possible with technology.

A mentoring program Brawner launched has been featured by industry media. Brawner currently serves on both the CEDIA Integrator Business Owner Working Group and the CEDIA Discovery Working Group. He says the best way to sum himself up is his company’s motto: “Excellence is not an act, it’s a habit.”

Shannon Bush (Global Candidate)
AVDG, LLC
San Jose, California

Shannon Bush is regional sales manager for AVDG, which has locations throughout the United States. She has over a decade of experience in the audio/visual industry and carries more than 15 professional certifications and licenses. Bush has been highlighted in multiple industry publications and before joining AVDG, served as vice president of an integration firm in Texas, where her accomplishments include contributing to 30% growth, developing new software, managing large integration projects, and leading a team of 60 professionals.

She volunteers for CEDIA and serves on CEDIA’s Integrator Business Owner Working Group. Bush says she is known for building highly successful teams that have strong cohesion, culture, and fanatically think outside the box. Prior to her AV industry career, Bush worked in the private defense industry, running multimillion-dollar projects worldwide.

Albert Mizrahi (Global Candidate)
SmartLab
Mexico City, Mexico

Albert Mizrahi serves as head of multiple businesses in Mexico, including Control4 Mexico, SmartLab and DealerShop. He holds a degree in marketing and started his career in custom integrations as a director of distribution before becoming director of Control4 Mexico where he opened the first Control4 experience center in 2012, which has been replicated worldwide. Businesses he’s led have been awarded international distributor of the year five times and SmartLab, which he founded, has worked in residential, commercial and hospitality spaces, earning multiple honors including several CEDIA Awards.

Mizrahi, a Dealerscope “40 Under 40” honoree, has served on the CEDIA board of directors since 2019. He has launched three showrooms with JBL Synthesis theaters that are open to the public and DealerShop, which he founded, distributes major brands in the Mexico City area.

Eddie Shapiro (Global Candidate)
SmartTouchUSA
Columbia, Maryland

Eddie Shapiro is chief design officer for SmartTouchUSA, which has operations in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. He has worked in audiovisual and low voltage for more than 30 years in areas such as installation, system design, programming, marketing, sales and executive leadership. Shapiro began his career on the security side where he installed systems for customers including PriceWaterHouse Coopers, IBM, Nordstrom, Nestle and Verizon. He frequents CEDIA Expo and ISE CEDIA Expo for education and updates on tech.

A CEDIA volunteer for more than a decade, Shapiro says his focus today is on new technologies, developing industry standards, and increasing the industry’s reputation among architects, lighting designers, builders and the design industry. Shapiro is part of the CEDIA Technology Council, which focuses on emerging trends and key industry topics.

Michael Sherman (EMEA Candidate)
Henri
Paris, France

Michael Sherman is chief executive officer of Henri, a third-generation family business in France. Sherman has been with the company for 11 years, previously serving in management, development, and operations roles, and as project manager and technical director. He has managed the team as it has grown from 15 to 45 employees, including several Sherman says he mentored from apprenticeships to management positions.

The 2019 CEDIA Young Professional of the Year, Sherman has volunteered for CEDIA for 10 years and was on the CEDIA EMEA board of directors from 2011-2013. He currently serves on Design and Build Resources Working Group, was part of the CEDIA Membership Advisory Council and received the French Chamber of Artisans’ Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2018. Sherman has been a panelist for the ISE Main Stage and CEDIA Expo Smart Stage.

2. To approve and adopt the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Association, attached hereto as Exhibit A.

3. To approve and adopt the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Association, attached hereto as Exhibit B.

Pursuant to CEDIA’s bylaws, the association must receive responses from at least 1% of the membership in order to meet quorum requirements. Moreover, the amendment and restatement of the Articles of Incorporation and bylaws require the approval of at least 2/3 of the member votes cast. Voting will begin on Sept. 11, 2020 and will be open for 41 days, ending October 21, 2020. Elected board members will be announced Oct. 28, 2020.

The CEDIA bylaws govern and outline the board election process. All member company types (integrator, manufacturer, service provider, or other) may vote and each company has one vote. Those listed as company administrators in the CEDIA database were sent the voting link, and if more than one ballot is submitted by a company, the first ballot cast will be the one counted.

There are no appointed positions open on the CEDIA Board of Directors for the 2020-2021 term.

You can both learn about the candidates as well as vote here: https://cedia.net/about/leadership/board-of-directors/cedia-board-election