The Mark Brunner Professional Audio Scholarship
Offered each year by PAMA in partnership with Shure Incorporated to students worldwide who are pursuing an education in professional audio. Up to $2,000 per recipient, per year.
Qualifications
A student pursuing a degree in professional audio, enrolled full-time in an accredited program.
Application
A 300-word essay on why you are pursuing an audio degree, and how you plan to share your knowledge with others in a manner consistent with Mark Brunner’s legacy.
Award
Up to $2,000 per year. Recipients may reapply each year of eligibility, up to four years, depending on the length of their degree program. Winners are profiled in a press release and on this site.
Support the fund
Individuals and companies can support the scholarship fund and help honor Mark’s legacy.
A former President of PAMA from 2011 to 2013, Brunner provided a consistent voice to the strategic direction of PAMA and its role in advancing the professional audio industry. He joined Shure in 1989 and held several key positions there, including Director of Advertising and Managing Director of the Musical Instrument and Touring Sound business unit. Most recently he was Vice President of Global Corporate & Government Relations, working on the FCC rules for wireless device operation and frequency, spectrum allocation, and protecting the wireless microphone sector. He was also a prominent member of The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing Manufacturers Council.
Every scholar so far
The first graduate of the program, Emma Brooks (Berklee College of Music, 2021 and 2022), went on to a full-time position at Dolby in Los Angeles.
2026
- Tamanpreet Kaur American University (second year)
- Andrew Padfield Western Michigan University (second year)
- Nate Dickson Belmont University
- Salon Khatri Texas State University
2025
- Jeremiah Grier Temple University
- Tamanpreet Kaur American University
- Andrew Padfield Western Michigan University
- Paula Sedlacek Penn State University
2024
- Valor Swezey University of New Haven (second year)
- Narek Manoukian Southern Utah University
- Mei Hei Berklee College of Music
2023
- Dennis Freeman Middle Tennessee State University (third year)
- Benjamin Nix-Bradley CSU Northridge (second year)
- Valor Swezey University of New Haven
2022
- Emma Brooks Berklee College of Music (second year)
- Dennis Freeman Middle Tennessee State University (second year)
- Benjamin Nix-Bradley CSU Northridge
2021
- Emma Brooks Berklee College of Music
- Dennis Freeman Middle Tennessee State University