The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)^® today announced that Tara Dunion, senior director of event communications, CEA, received the 2013 Women in CE Legacy Award. The fourth annual Legacy Awards reception was held last night at the 2013 International CES^®. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2013 CES is the world’s largest annual innovation event and runs through January 11, 2013.

Dunion brings more than fifteen years of promotional and media relations experience to her role as spokeswoman and senior director of event communications for CEA. She is responsible for overseeing outreach and strategic communications efforts, as well as providing operational and logistics support, to the more than 5,000 global media who attend and cover CES. Dunion also oversees media outreach and support for CEA’s standalone conferences and events.

“Congratulations to Tara Dunion, the heart and soul of our event communications team. Tara masterfully directs communication efforts for all CES events, including the International CES, which receives more media coverage then the Super Bowl,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “Her enthusiasm for innovation is contagious and she is fiercely committed to advancing the technology industry. There is no better candidate for this honor.”

During her tenure at CEA, Dunion has increased CES media coverage by 30 percent. She has also initially developed CES’ social media strategy, launching CEA’s blog, Digital Dialogue, and other CES social media activities. In 2010, Engadget named Dunion one of the “Top Tech Women to Follow on Twitter,” and she is a frequent speaker on the use of social media for event promotion. Prior to joining CEA in June 2002, Dunion worked at international PR agencies Burston-Marsteller and Fleishman-Hillard, developing PR campaigns for technology clients including Intel, Motorola and Sun Microsystems.

Dunion is the second recipient from CEA of the Women in CE Legacy award. In 2010, Karen Chupka, senior vice president of International CES and corporate business strategy, CEA, was recognized by Women in CE for her outstanding work in the industry. CEA employs 87 women out of 139 total employees. Out of that, 22 women are on the senior staff out of a total of 40 senior staff members.

“The Legacy Award is a great honor and I commend Tara Dunion for all her hard work that led to this accolade. Her passion for the consumer electronics industry is unparalleled and she excellently represents our industry,” said Chupka. “Tara’s contributions to the industry, CES events and the International CES are extensive and she is undeniably deserving of this award.”

Women in CE focuses on empowering women and supporting career opportunities across the consumer electronics industry. Entering its fourth year, the Legacy Awards spotlights women in the consumer electronics industry who display a sustained commitment to innovation, growth and continuous improvement within the industry’s areas. Dunion was honored alongside four other influential women in the consumer electronics industry: Marcia Grand, vice president and publisher, TWICE; Mindy Grossman, chief executive officer and director, HSN, Inc.; Helen Heneveld, founder and president, Bedrock Learning, Inc.; and Marla Suttenberg, owner, Sapphire Marketing LLC.

Note to Editors: The official name of the global technology event is “International CES.” Subsequent references to the show can be shortened to “CES.” Please do not use “Consumer Electronics Show” to refer to the International CES.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $206 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online: www.CE.org and www.DeclareInnovation.com. Follow CES at www.CESweb.org and through social media: http://facebook.com/InternationalCES, http://twitter.com/IntlCES, http://blog.ce.org/.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 2013 International CES
  January 8-11, 2013, Las Vegas, NV
• Economic Retreat
  March 8-10, 2013, Snowmass, CO