Turning Design Into Reality:
Alea Pettrone
Senior Director of Configuration & Commissioning
Published July 2026
Behind The Screens: With Alea Pettrone
From teaching herself programming at a reception desk to leading configuration and commissioning teams, Alea Pettrone has built a career on curiosity, collaboration and making technology work.
10
Years in Industry
Making It Work
As Senior Director of Configuration & Commissioning, Alea leads Diversified's field engineering and remote commissioning teams, helping turn designs into fully functioning systems.
Her team configures, tests, deploys and commissions technology before training clients on how to use it. The goal is simple: when the equipment arrives onsite, everything works exactly as intended.
For Alea, there's no better feeling than plugging in a system and watching it come to life because the work was done right from the start.
6
Years with Diversified
An Accidental Start
AV wasn't part of the plan.
Alea was working as a marketing manager when she accepted a receptionist position at an AV integration company. Fascinated by the technology around her, she started teaching herself Crestron programming from her front desk.
A new engineering manager noticed what she was doing and quickly moved her into an engineering role. From there, she taught herself AutoCAD, learned system design and took on everything from rack fabrication to DSP programming.
That willingness to learn became the foundation of her career.
40+
Certifications
Built on Teamwork
One of the biggest misconceptions about field engineering is that one team owns every aspect of a project.
In reality, successful deployments depend on collaboration between engineering, programming, project management, installation teams and client IT departments. When issues arise in the field, solving them requires everyone working together.
For Alea, partnership is what ultimately determines project success.
7
Pets (4 cats, 2 dogs, 1 horse)
Building What's Next
One recent project highlighted just how much the industry is evolving. Through extensive shop testing and close coordination between teams, systems arrived onsite ready for true plug-and-play deployment. When an issue initially appeared, the cause wasn't the AV system but a network configuration problem. Once corrected, everything worked exactly as designed.
For Alea, that's where the industry is headed: more preparation upfront, less troubleshooting in the field and faster results for clients. As AV continues shifting toward IP-based solutions, she sees automation and AI playing an increasingly important role in making that possible.
Clients want systems that deploy faster, work immediately and require less manual effort. By automating repetitive tasks and streamlining processes, AI has the potential to help teams deliver projects more efficiently while allowing experts to focus on solving bigger challenges. The goal isn't replacing expertise—it's giving experts better tools.
7
Countries Visited
Why Diversified
What stands out most to Alea isn't the technology. It's the people.
She credits Diversified's culture of creativity, curiosity and collaboration for making it a place where people genuinely enjoy working together. The same personalities that bring unique perspectives to projects are often the ones building lasting friendships outside of work.
It's a culture where individuality is welcomed and where great ideas often come from unexpected places.
1
Finalist in Billboard
Lady Gaga Look-A-Like
Contest
By Design
Alea's journey from receptionist to senior leader wasn't mapped out from the beginning. It was built through curiosity, persistence and a willingness to keep learning.
Today, she leads teams responsible for bringing complex systems to life, helping clients adopt new technologies and proving every day that the best solutions come from people working together.
Standards of Excellence in Action
Success doesn’t happen by chance. It requires a plan and dedication. At Diversified, our collective success is driven by:
People
The foundation of our organization and community. Without people, there are no actions, ideas or progress. They are the ones who bring skills, creativity and energy to any endeavor.
Purpose
The reason our associates act. A clear purpose provides direction and motivation. It’s the “why” behind actions and efforts, aligning the collective efforts of people towards a common goal.
Performance
The outcome of our associates working towards a purpose. Performance measures how effectively the purpose is being achieved. It’s a reflection of how well people apply their skills and efforts in pursuit of the organization’s goals.
Passion
The emotional drive that fuels our associates’ efforts. Passion enhances commitment and perseverance, making people more engaged and motivated to excel. It can transform ordinary performance into extraordinary achievements.
