Title: Sales Manager
Company: RTSales
Location: Boca Raton, FL
Overtime: When she’s not selling products from some of the top AV manufacturers in the industry, you can find Goodyer spending time with her husband, an ER nurse, and their young daughter.
Why You Need to Know Her: Through her involvement with the AVIXA Women’s Council, Jennifer Goodyer, CTS is working to make the Pro AV industry more welcoming for women.
While many stumble into the Pro AV industry, Goodyer is part of a true legacy. Her father, Ron Tunks, established RTSales more than 40 years ago. The company is now run by Bert Tunks, who is Goodyer’s older brother. Originally, the company was a music industry manufacturers rep firm, but expanded over the years to include Pro AV manufacturers. “There’s definitely a lot more opportunity in Pro AV,” noted Goodyer, who was the first person at RTSales to earn a CTS certification in 2015.
We’re really trying to show women there’s a career path here. It’s our duty to do something about it.
Beyond her family connections, Goodyer is drawn to the Pro AV industry because of the different components that work together to bring an experience to someone. “It’s almost like making art in a way,” she explained. “Pro AV is in everyone’s life, whether they are aware of it or not.”
While she enjoys her career, Goodyer admitted it can be “lonely and alienating” being a woman in the Pro AV industry. For example, at a recent pro audio event, she was the only woman in a crowd of more than 60 people.
Goodyer noted women make up less than 20% of the Pro AV industry, and only about 10% are under the age of 40. “You’re not going to join an industry if you don’t see yourself represented,” she added. “So, we’re really trying to show women there’s a career path here. It’s our duty to do something about it.”
[Viewpoint: Supporting Women, Diversity Councils Protect the Future of AV Industry]
To that end, Goodyer remains active in the AVIXA Women’s Council, and even established the South Florida Local Group in 2019 that has about 30 members across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. She has also organized events for the group and penned several articles for AVIXA. Goodyer also leads the AVIXA Women’s Council Book Club, which meets monthly and often discusses books written by members of the Pro AV community. Her efforts earned her the CTS Holder of the Year Award from AVIXA in 2021.
In another effort to encourage women to join the ranks of Pro AV industry, albeit at a young age, Goodyer is working with Rosie Riveters, a nonprofit organization that provides STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) projects for middle school girls. A handful of the STEM projects have a connection to AV. Goodyer said the projects expose girls to a “productive struggle” that comes from applying critical thinking and experimentation to solving problems.
“That’s kind of what Pro AV is—a productive struggle,” Goodyer said. “It’s a good way to engage girls.”
Looking to the future, Goodyer expects to see the scales tip toward a more diverse Pro AV workforce. “I see a lot more equality,” she said. “People are putting so much work into it, and people are being so receptive. Men are even joining the Women’s Council, because they understand and appreciate diversity in our industry.”
