Vote for the 2026 CQ Innovator Award!
The CQ Innovator Award is designated for the CQ member who is a leader among their peers. This person shakes up industry standards, is not afraid of change, and continues to set a new bar in hearing healthcare.
Now we want to hear from YOU! We are proud to have five incredible nominees who are eligible to receive the award. Please watch their interviews, read their profiles and vote for the nominee of your choice. Your practice must be a part of CQ Partners in order to vote.
Voting closes March 11
Hear from Your Nominees
See what our 2026 innovator nominees have to say about what it means to be innovative, inspire change, and do something different in the hearing healthcare industry.
Dr. Meg Cates – Hearing Solutions
“The most valuable thing I’ve learned about leading a business is you have to have a combination of curiosity and certainty.”
Dr. Meg Cates exemplifies what it means to be a CQ Innovator. Her curiosity, authenticity, and deep commitment to helping people have fueled a thriving practice that continues to grow year after year. From the start of her ownership journey, Meg fully embraced change, seeing innovation not as a single initiative, but as something that begins in everyday moments and questions.
Driven by a mindset of continuous improvement, Meg consistently looks for ways to elevate patient care, strengthen team performance, and refine operations. She has implemented tools such as an AI note taker to free up time and energy, while also dedicating focused effort to improving her sales process. Stepping outside her comfort zone to test new ideas has become a defining strength of her leadership.
“The number one thing for hearing healthcare providers to remember is you differentiate yourself by being yourself” says Meg. “The more I’ve let myself be myself instead of what I think an audiologist or owner should be, the more successful my practice has been and the better reviews I get from patients.”
Meg’s experimental mindset, willingness to embrace change, and devotion to continually improving the patient experience are just a few of the qualities that have earned her a nomination for the CQ Innovator Award.
Tonia MacPhail – Stanwood Hearing
“You can’t grow without making changes. If you try something, try it, and if it doesn’t work you can always go back.”
For Tonia MacPhail, innovation means having the courage to try something new. In a constantly evolving industry, she has shown what it truly means to lead with openness, adaptability, and vision.
One of the most valuable lessons she has learned as a business owner is the power of a strong team. “My team is the core of our business here” says Tonia. “If they didn’t have my back, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
Rather than staying comfortable with the status quo, Tonia has embraced technology and new strategies to keep her practice running efficiently and connected. She implemented automation to ensure patients consistently receive messages and reminders and partnered with CQ to develop a marketing plan that successfully brought more patients through the doors.
A defining part of Tonia’s approach is her focus on patient success. By checking in, supporting outcomes, and building lasting relationships, she has strengthened both her patients’ experiences and her practice growth.
Tonia’s dedication to her patients, willingness to embrace change even when it scares her, and forward-thinking attitude are just a few of the reasons she has been nominated for the CQ Innovator Award this year.
Dr. Anesheia Prince – Atlanta Hearing Associates
“Try something different and if you don’t then you’ll never know what could happen. Leap, jump, run. It’s all gonna be great at the end of the day.”
Over the past five years, Dr. Anesheia Prince has built a thriving, growth-driven culture grounded in a simple philosophy: innovation happens when creativity, data, and decisive action come together.
Since opening her practice, Anesheia has achieved more than 17% annual growth. In 2025, she expanded services by introducing a cochlear implant (CI) program and offering specialized care options beyond traditional insurance and Medicare coverage, improving access for patients while strengthening practice revenue. She also broadened her marketing reach across magazines, television, and commercials, building strong community awareness and trust before patients even walk through the door.
Anesheia credits much of this success to her team, intentionally fostering a shared vision and commitment to excellence.
When asked what’s the most important thing to remember as a hearing healthcare provider, Anesheia shared this powerful message: “I want to remind every audiologist that you are more than any device. We are the doctors who love our patients. We are more than any circumstance. We are Doctors of Audiology.”
Anesheia’s collaborative spirit combined with her willingness to embrace change in an ever-changing industry are just a couple of the reasons why she has been nominated for the CQ Innovator Award.
Dr. Linda Oliver & Jim Oliver – Oliver Audiology & Hearing Aid Services
“The real risk isn’t experimenting. It’s assuming today’s model will work five years down the road unchanged. Progress doesn’t require perfection. It requires movement.”
For Dr. Linda and Jim Oliver, innovation isn’t a single breakthrough, it’s discipline. They constantly re-evaluate what’s working, identify opportunities to improve, and make thoughtful adjustments that move their practice forward every day.
In 2025, Linda and Jim focused on three key areas: third-party participation, patient experience, and how patients discover and connect with their practice. By setting clear, data-driven goals with actionable plans, they increased revenue, elevated patient experience, and adapted to the realities of AI-driven search and a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
“Satisfaction isn’t enough” says Linda. “We’re not looking to create a satisfied patient. We’re looking to create a patient that says, ‘Wow, I’ve never experienced that before’ in a good way.”
Even as they adapt and evolve, Linda and Jim remain grounded in their core values and commitment to excellent clinical care. They continuously refine their business without chasing every trend, successfully navigating change while staying true to who they are.
Their commitment to purposeful change, clear goal setting, and the belief that innovation is part of daily operations are just some of the reasons Linda and Jim have been nominated for the CQ Innovator Award.
