The 2009 MWAA Lifetime Achievement Award

Text of Mark Dunn’s Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation
Delivered Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Westin Hotel Lombard, IL

The MWAA Lifetime Achievement Award honors the outstanding individual who has made significant contributions throughout a career of service to the merchant bankcard and electronic payments industry.  This award is a unique tribute given only to the individual who is worthy of "Hall of Fame" status.  In 2003, our inaugural year of the award, the MWAA Conference celebrated the achievements of Bob Carr, founder, CEO and Chairman of Heartland Payment Systems.  In 2004 the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was Paul Green, founder of the Green Sheet and creator of the first registered ISO.  In 2005 the MWAA honored John Rante, who created Online Data and is founder and President of BluePay.  The 2006 recipient was Dick Draper, who founded the first terminal equipment distributor in the US. In 2008, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award was Mike Ponder, founder of Integrity Payment Systems in Des Plaines, Illinois and creator of many modern innovations in ISO sales. Last Year, The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Kim Fitzsimmons, Senior Vice President of First Data US Merchant Sales.

This year, the MWAA is proud to award Donna Embry, currently SVP of Payment Alliance International, Inc with the 2009 MWAA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Donna Embry currently oversees strategic business development at Payment Alliance International, Inc.. Prior executive positions include COO of TenderCard, EVP of Product and Marketing for Vital Processing (now TSYS Acquiring), and SVP of Electronic Banking at PNC. Donna has more than 40 years experience in the payments industry.  She developed the first Curriculum for ETA University, produced the Introduction to Electronic Processing courses and authored the first ETA publication, The Encyclopedia of Terminology for the Acquiring Industry.  In October, 2005, Donna was selected as the GreenSheet’s profiled industry leader. Donna has served on the following boards: Quest ATM Network; Bridgehaven, a United Way Company, and Chairman for the Church of the Ascension’s school board.  Ms. Embry has served on various Visa and MasterCard advisory and ad hoc committees and is a frequent speaker at many industry related conferences. In over the past four decades, Donna has inspired, mentored and motivated countless industry professionals.

Following the award presentation, Donna said she was overwhelmed by the accolade.  "The fact that your peers recognize you for something over and above what you deal with on a daily basis was very humbling.  I've always considered myself a student of the payments industry, and I guess I've earned my degree now.  And it's such an interesting business because you get to touch on everything form consumer behavior to economics and technology.  Once payments in your blood, it's hard to get it out".

As in every year we accept nominations for the MWAA Lifetime Achievement Award on our web site at www.midwestacquirers.com .  I would like to encourage anyone who has a nomination for 2010 to submit a nomination on the web site.   Nominations for the MWAA 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award will be accepted beginning in September, 2009.

The Board of the Midwest Acquirers Association received nominations for several worthy candidates for this award.  The Board considered the professional contributions of the nominees that were submitted this year and voted the MWAA 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award to Donna Embry, Payment Alliance International.

MWAA 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award Nomination Form

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