XR ASSOCIATION HONORS OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP IN XR WITH INAUGURAL CONGRESSIONAL AND MEMBER AWARDS
The Awards were presented to Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA), August Plugher (R-TX), as well as Meta and CareerViewXR during XRA’s Two-Day TechSummit in Washington, D.C.
March 4, 2026 — This week, the XR Association, recognized Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and August Plugher (R-TX) with its inaugural XR Visionary Leadership Award. The award recognizes their bipartisan leadership in advancing immersive technologies that strengthen U.S. workforce development, innovation and global competitiveness.
The awards were presented during XRA’s two-day XR TechSummit in Washington, D.C., which convened policymakers, industry leaders and XR providers to explore the latest in XR and public policy, including the convergence of AI and XR, XR’s impacts on workforce readiness, defense and healthcare modernization and more.
“XRA is proud to recognize Representatives Pfluger and DelBene for their leadership and dedication to ensuring immersive technologies are acknowledged as vital technology infrastructure, creating new opportunities for Americans nationwide by bridging the digital and physical worlds, creating an intelligent and human-centered ecosystem that will help to deploy wearable AI, spatial computing and great advancements yet to come,” said Elizabeth Hyman, President and CEO of XRA. “Through their involvement with the Congressional Reality Caucus and bipartisan introduction of the XR Leadership Bill, Reps. Pfluger and DelBene have helped raise the profile of XR as a key driver of economic competitiveness and national resilience.”
“I am deeply honored to receive the Congressional XR Visionary Leadership Award and look forward to working alongside the XR Association in the years ahead,” said Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11). “Immersive technology was invented in the United States, and we have both the opportunity and responsibility to lead its development. As other nations move quickly to dominate this field, we must not fall behind. I am proud to co-lead the bipartisan United States Leadership in Immersive Technology Act, which unites industry, government, and innovators to strengthen America’s position. From digital twins that transform design and defense to XR applications advancing healthcare, manufacturing, and education, this technology forms the foundation of the next computing platform. Immersive technology must reflect American values and leadership.”
“Extended reality technologies are rapidly becoming a foundational platform for American innovation, transforming how we train workers, strengthen our economy, and ensure the United States leads in the next generation of computing,” said Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01). “As other countries invest heavily in immersive technology, we must advance responsible, bipartisan policies that promote U.S. leadership and reflect our core values. I’m honored to receive the XR Visionary Leadership Award.”
XRA also recognized Meta and CareerViewXR as the inaugural recipients of the Limitless Future Award: For Leadership in Immersive Technology. The award recognizes two XRA members whose investment, deployment, and cross-sector collaboration have meaningfully expanded how immersive technologies are developed, applied, and scaled for real-world use.
“Meta and CareerViewXR represent the direction this industry is headed, from innovation to integration at scale,” said Hyman. “Both companies have demonstrated what it means to move immersive technologies beyond pilots and into real-world deployment, delivering measurable impact while engaging responsibly with policymakers and industry partners. Their leadership strengthens not only their own platforms, but the broader XR ecosystem.”
CareerViewXR offers fully accessible and engaging job simulations, helping schools across the country reimagine how students explore future opportunities.
“We began CareerViewXR with the sole purpose of making career exploration more accessible while breaking down barriers and misperceptions of as many industries as possible,” said Matthew Chaussee, co-founder and CEO of CareerViewXR. “We’re honored to accept this award in acknowledgement of the collaborative efforts our team, alongside our exceptional education and industry partners, have made to align young minds with the future of work. This recognition reflects the power of cross-sector collaboration and thoughtful implementation in ensuring immersive technologies are applied in ways that meaningfully address real-world workforce challenges.”
As a leading hardware and platform developer in the XR space, Meta has been an engaging and collaborative partner in the immersive technology space, focused on empowering developers via tools like the Meta XR Simulator, SDKs for Unity/Unreal, and the OpenXR support platform, as well as cross-sector partnerships with companies like Anduril and Unity.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from the XR Association, whose work in convening companies and partners to advance immersive technology is vital to accelerating immersive technology,” said Cody Ankeny, Reality Labs Policy Manager at Meta. “At Meta, innovation is at the core of everything we do—from pioneering AI-powered smart glasses to advancing the next generation of mixed reality experiences. We’re grateful for XRA’s role in bringing industry together, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside XRA and other stakeholders, leading the way in shaping the future of AR, VR, and AI wearables.”
