WAVIT Announces Expansion of Board of Directors Ahead of Year Four

As Women in AV/IT (WAVIT) continues to expand its impact across the AV and technology industries, the organization has added five new members to its board of directors: Vanessa Tolisano, Gisela Ramirez, Kristy Demsay, Kim Lonas, and Susan Milwit. Cheryl Walton has been nominated to serve as vice president.

"These women each bring unique experiences, perspectives, and leadership strengths that will help WAVIT continue expanding its impact across the AV/IT community," says Althea Ricketts, WAVIT president and VP of corporate initiatives at Shure. "From mentorship and DEIB leadership to channel strategy, enterprise operations, and AI-driven innovation, their expertise will help strengthen WAVIT as we continue creating opportunities and visibility for women throughout the industry."

Tolisano is a program and operations leader with more than a decade of experience supporting organizations through growth, governance, communication, and operational alignment. Her involvement in mentorship initiatives, including Rise AV's inaugural mentor-mentee cohort in the UK, reflects her commitment to helping women grow with confidence and visibility.

Ramirez has more than 20 years of sales experience and has over a decade of driving multimillion-dollar growth initiatives across the AV industry. Currently serving as Southeast territory manager at Almo Pro AV, Ramirez is known for building scalable partnerships, transforming markets, and mentoring emerging professionals throughout the industry.

Demsay is a channel and distribution business leader with more than 20 years of experience driving partner engagement, forecasting strategy, and go-to-market execution across complex technology ecosystems. Her background spans manufacturer, distributor, representative, and founder roles.

Lonas is a strategic human resources and talent acquisition leader with expertise in talent strategy, workforce planning, and organizational culture. She has led people initiatives across global business environments, helping organizations attract and develop talent while fostering cultures of collaboration, belonging, and engagement. Lonas is a passionate advocate for mentorship and mental health awareness.

Milwit is VP of system integration at CTI with more than 20 years of experience driving enterprise technology transformation initiatives focused on agentic AI, unified communications, cloud services, and digital transformation.

WAVIT is a 501(c)(3) organization created by and for women in the AV/IT industries. Its mission is to provide a network that supports and empowers women through education, representation, mentorship, and inclusion. WAVIT believes that small ripples create lasting waves and is committed to helping women feel more confident, connected, and supported throughout their careers in AV and technology.