The CEDIA board has promoted Tabatha O’Connor to the position of global president and CEO, after she held that role in an interim capacity after the departure of Vin Bruno in May 2017.
“Tabatha has proven herself to be an incredibly effective leader, working to make some of CEDIA’s most significant projects become a reality,” said Dave Humphries, CEDIA board chairman, in an email to CEDIA members. “From the global alignment to the sale of the show to our new headquarters, Tabatha has been the one to carry the torch across the finish line.”
O’Connor joined CEDIA in 2002 and has led many departments, including membership, finance, human resources, and volunteer development.
As the board worked with O’Connor over the last eight months, Humphries noted, it became “absolutely clear that she is committed to CEDIA and is uniquely qualified to lead our organization and our industry as we step forward with our new strategic plan.”
O’Connor said that she is honored to be named global president and CEO. “I am passionate about building this industry and providing our members the tools they need to be successful,” she said. “The organization is at a very exciting pivot point as we implement our new strategic plan, construct our new global headquarters that will serve as a resource to our members and our industry, and expand CEDIA’s educational programming around the world.”
Humphries noted that CEDIA is not the same organization that it was 12 months ago. “We are shifting focus from an organization whose primary function was running a tradeshow to an organization that will push the industry forward through education, outreach to design and build specifiers, and increasing professionalism though standards, guidelines, and best practices,” he said.
“As we start implementation of our new strategic plan, the board is confident that Tabatha’s deep experience in association management and 14 years of leading different departments within CEDIA will position her to lead CEDIA in its next chapter,” Humphries added.
