Net Insight Director of Strategic Accounts Cliff Simpson captured the SCTE/ISBE Member of the Year Award, Mega Broadband Investments Executive Vice President and COO Andy Parrott became the newest inductee into the SCTE/ISBE Hall of Fame, and Altice USA Principal Engineer Chris Zydel became the first recipient of an award dedicated to the memory of industry pioneer Wilt Hildenbrand during the Annual Awards Luncheon at Cable-Tec Expo 2019 in New Orleans.
Simpson has distinguished himself through dedication and commitment to the SCTE/ISBE on both the local and national levels, including work on election and training committees as well as the Energy 2020 program. As secretary of the Piedmont Chapter and a member of the national by-laws committee, he has kept his chapter compliant with SCTE/ISBE policies. He also chaired the No Chapter Left Behind Subcommittee that has helped re-energize struggling chapters.
Parrott earned Hall of Fame honors for his efforts to advance technical and operational excellence, including his emphasis on the importance of SCTE/ISBE training for his teams, his leadership roles within SCTE/ISBE chapters and his chairmanship of the SCTE/ISBE Learning & Development Committee.
Zydel was recognized with the Wilt J. Hildenbrand Jr. Rising Leader Award by Mandy Hildenbrand, daughter of the longtime Cablevision Systems technology pioneer and innovator who passed away last year. The SCTE/ISBE and the SCTE Foundation last week announced the naming of the award and the launch of Wilt J. Hildenbrand Jr. Scholarships as part of a $200,000, five-year campaign to memorialize the late executive. An initial donation from the YAS Foundation was presented to the SCTE Foundation at the Expo Chairman's Reception on Oct. 1.
Other award recipients included:
- Excellence in Standards - John Dolan, senior guideline specialist for network facilities, Rogers Wireline
- Chairman's Award - Steve Williams, vice president, DOCSIS, Charter Communications
- Innovators Award - Synamedia
- Excellence in Learning & Development Award - Rich LaPat, vice president of the Technical Operations College, Comcast University
- Women in Technology Award - Zenita Henderson, vice president, marketing and business development, SCTE/ISBE
- International Engineering Professional Award - Eduardo Miguel Panciera Molanes, architecture and technology manager, Telecom Argentina SA Group
- Spirit of the Games Award - Bob Razem, a longtime member of the Cable-Tec Games subcommittee