Distinction Award for Innovation Excellence
Mercer University: Ken Boyer, Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services
Mercer University earned the Distinction Award for Innovation Excellence for transforming campus access through a forward-looking, cloud-native security strategy. By modernizing its physical access infrastructure with Genea Security’s unified platform, Mercer replaced fragmented legacy systems with automated provisioning, real-time responsiveness, and a significantly stronger security posture. This intentional alignment of mobile credentials with modern access control reimagines the campus security model and sets a new benchmark for a secure, connected, and student-centric campus experience.
Distinction Award for Engagement & Marketing Excellence
MD Anderson Cancer Center: Leisa Bryant, Exec Director, Food and Nutrition Services
The Food and Nutrition Services team at MD Anderson Cancer Center earned the Distinction Award for Engagement & Marketing Excellence for driving exceptional adoption and satisfaction through strategic communication and sustained, hands-on engagement. Through a highly collaborative, multi-phase rollout of the Let’s Eat patient meal ordering application, the team combined in-person education, cross-departmental partnerships, and patient-centered outreach to ensure hospital-wide success. Their thoughtful engagement strategy led to significant growth in adoption, consistently high patient satisfaction, operational efficiencies, and measurable workforce gains—setting a standard for impactful, user-focused engagement.
Distinction Award for Integration & Operational Excellence
University of Memphis: Melissa Ramage, Business System Analyst
The University of Memphis earned the Distinction Award for Integration & Operational Excellence for seamlessly unifying payments, access control, and mobile credentials into a cohesive, efficient campus ecosystem. Through integrated payments, a pioneering ACI and Lenel OnGuard connection, and the modernization of more than 400 door readers, the university improved operational efficiency while delivering real-time data and a smoother user experience. Their thoughtful, multi-platform integration strategy demonstrates how aligned systems and workflows can elevate security, convenience, and campuswide operations.
Tommy Eubank Excellence in Partnership Award
Andrew George, Applied Audio Video
Andrew George, owner of Applied Audio Video, embodies the Tommy Eubank Excellence in Partnership Award. He exemplifies the trust, responsiveness, and dedication that define an exceptional partner, and our clients consistently express their appreciation for his work. Andrew operates with full transparency—never circumventing the partnership, always keeping our team informed, and reinforcing a unified, one-team approach with campuses.
Even when opportunities fall outside his direct scope, he steps in to support, whether through site visits, representing our solutions, or ensuring projects remain aligned for the institution’s benefit. His work is high quality, his responsiveness is unmatched, and his impact extends well beyond his single-state market—demonstrating that true partnership excellence is defined not by size, but by integrity, expertise, and commitment to shared success.
Innovation Partner of the Year
Compass at Texas A&M University
Compass Group at Texas A&M University operates one of the largest and most innovative Illumia environments in higher education—28 mobile ordering locations, ~40,000 registered users, and nearly 200 POS devices campuswide. Their impact goes beyond scale. TAMU continues to advance the platform, launching new meal plan models in partnership with TSE that support simultaneous Meal Exchange and Cash Equivalency workflows while maintaining strong financial controls. They’ve integrated Apex Lockers with Mobile Ordering to streamline fulfillment, expanded payment acceptance across concessions, vending, robotics, and frictionless checkout environments, and driven measurable results: In Fall 2025, TAMU processed 180,897 mobile orders generating $1.6M in revenue across College Station and Galveston. By aligning marketing, operations, and technology, Texas A&M and Compass Group have made Illumia’s systems a daily habit for students—setting the benchmark for innovation executed at true enterprise scale.
Partner of the Year
Genea
Genea is recognized as Partner of the Year for exemplifying enduring organization-wide partnership through an unwavering commitment at every level of the company. Their intuitive, modern solution meets the unique needs of higher education in a way that is both powerful and accessible, creating a strong foundation for growth.
Across executive leadership, product, sales, and project teams, Genea remains consistently engaged, responsive, and solutions-oriented—especially while navigating the inevitable challenges of scaling a partnership. From direct CEO involvement in early implementations to a highly accessible CTO and a product team that delivers enhancements and fixes with remarkable speed, Genea demonstrates that sustained success is driven by shared accountability and full organizational alignment. Their collaborative, proactive approach has enabled real customer success and sets a strong example of mutual dedication in action.