On September 8, 2024, the AV industry lost a true advocate. Mary E. Cook was inducted into the SCN Hall of Fame in 2017.
The SCN article said, “Few industry leaders enjoy as full a life as does Mary Cook. Her 30 years and counting in the AV industry began with an oboe and have embraced stints in contracting, applications engineering, design, and now, consulting for The Sextant Group (now NV5 Technology group) in Atlanta, GA.
Couple that with her reputation as a stickler for industry standards and a fierce proponent for women in the industry. She’s active in both the Women of InfoComm Network and the association’s Standards Committee. And she is armed with an uncanny instinct for moving on within the industry at just the right time.”
I met Mary several years ago during InfoComm at the AVIXIA Women’s Council breakfast. The depth of knowledge she brought to any conversation and her willingness to share was uncompromised.
She devoted significant time working with others at AVIXA to advance industry standards and actively supported women in achieving CTS certification.
Many fond memories are being shared on the socials, below are a few excerpts:
From LinkedIn, Julie Porter Woodman, CPSM, Business Development Specialist at NV5
Mary E. Cook, CTS and I worked very closely together. Her passion for her projects and clients and her robust laugh always brightened my day. She was a strong woman leader in an industry dominated early on by men and blazed the trail for other women to follow. We are working to establish scholarships that honor her legacy and will keep you posted (check Woodman’s LinkedIn post for more information).
From an AVIXA post on LinkedIn:
“Her love for the industry and volunteering for AVIXA meant the world to her, and she was a huge proponent of Women in AV,” said Jeremy Caldera, Executive Vice President of Pearl Technology.
Most recently, Mary worked on the revision of the standard, Documentation Requirements for Audiovisual Systems. “This standard would not be possible without Mary’s contributions,” said Caldera, moderator of this standard’s task group. “Her overarching guidance was unwavering as the task group worked on a complete overhaul of the standard – a feat that took over 6 years to accomplish.”
“Mary was a master at assimilating the various technical details of the topic at hand into practical real work environment examples,” said Greg Bronson, Director, Standards, AVIXA. “She was often first to help with new efforts we undertook, and took the time to let those around her know their value.”
“Mary truly was a welcoming person and amazingly diplomatic in dealing with complex conversations in our work on standards,” said Loanna Overcash, Manager, Standards, AVIXA. “She was a dedicated family person – she had recently moved closer to her parents to be able to help them. She loved her dogs and her husband. I will never forget her joyous laugh and energy. She also spent most of her birthdays at InfoComm.”
“Mary was a force to be reckoned with. She had a bold personality, amazing wit, and a kind heart,” said Tammy Fuqua, Developer Partner Manager, QSC, and Co-chair of the AVIXA Women’s Council. “She contributed her heart and soul to the Women's Council, especially with supporting women to achieve their CTS certification. She was a legend in the AV industry and an advocate for all women. I will miss her immensely.”
