Dawn Cagliano is a trailblazer in the industry. She has spent 20 years at SCN Top 50 systems integrator IVCi, working her way up the proverbial ladder to become the first female president in the company's history. Over that two-decade span, her focus has never changed: to create spaces that connect people and create great experiences for people.
Cagliano wasn't Pro AV bound from the start. She began her career managing call centers. It wasn't so much the centers she was focused on, but the experience for the customers.
"I was very focused back then on how to make the telephone conversation a more seamless interaction," Cagliano reflected. "I love connecting people, and I have always tried to improve the telephonic experience. That's what drew me to the AV world, the video component of the people connection."
She began on the managed services team, starting as a video operator. As the years passed, she turned her attention from the service-oriented portion of the business to the installation side. "They wanted to bring more of that white-glove, concierge experience into the installation side because AV installations haven’t always been about the experience," she said. "It was our owner who really wanted to put more of a focus on the experience on the installation side of the house."
And that is what truly defines Cagliano. Yes, she is very good at what she does, but the reason she is a Hall of Famer is her focus on others' experiences. It has led her to be a mentor to many coming up through the industry, a position she does not take for granted.
"It is my passion," Cagliano said of being able to mentor the future of Pro AV. "I really love looking across a team of people and trying to spot the rising stars, spotting those who I believe have the motivation and potential to go forward and helping them to harness that. And the harder that is, the more I enjoy it."
While Pro AV is evolving, women are still navigating a once completely male-dominated industry. For Cagliano, IVCi was a place that never closed a door for opportunity. As president, she is in the unique position to share her story.
She said IVCi has a culture of accountability. "As long as you're an accountable person here, you'll be a successful person here," she added. "I think it's important for women, particularly in our industry, to create spaces of mentorship, to be role models to each other, and to seek out the other women in the industry and guide them."
A mother of four, Cagliano doesn't have much room for free time (although she does love her woodworking). Instead, her passion lies in advancing the industry. Cagliano is now a member of the NSCA Education Foundation Board of Directors.
"I've always raised my hand to try to be as involved as possible in the NSCA," Cagliano said. "It's fun to be surrounded by people who are going to challenge the way you're thinking about not just AV, but leadership styles. This is an opportunity to get in front of the young people who are considering career paths to get them to understand just how powerful the AV industry is."
Cagliano will continue to focus on mentoring and creating those seamless experiences for customers and her own employees. And that's because, 20 years in, she still has that same curiosity as she did two decades ago.
“For the curious, the AV industry is a wonderful and cool place to be,” Cagliano concluded. “I think the most dangerous thing is when you think you know it all, so be open minded and be curious. You can't train somebody to be curious. When I see curious people, people who have some questions, people who challenge why we do it this way or why does it work this way, I think that that's a really valuable trait.”
