2024 Speakers

Frank Agraz

Director of Energy Efficiency

Eco Engineering

Frank Agraz has worked in the energy efficient lighting retrofit community for more than 25 years and serves as Director of Energy Efficiency at Eco Engineering. He and his team develop turnkey lighting projects and provide technical and educational support to the customer. Prior to his current role, he co-founded Maneri-Agraz Enterprises, a national turnkey lighting retrofit provider. He serves on the Board of Directors as Past President of the Illuminating Engineering Society. Mr. Agraz is Lighting Certified by the NCQLP and is the immediate past Exam Committee Chair, responsible for the group that develops and maintains the content of the annual LC exam. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Industrial Distribution.

Alessa Aguayo

Coronet LED

Director of Specification Sales

Alessa Aguayo has over a decade of experience in the lighting industry, she currently leads the NYC Specification Sales team for Coronet LED. Her passion for lighting extends beyond a career, she serves as President-Elect for the International Board of Directors for WILD (Women in Lighting + Design) and is a board member for the NLB (National Lighting bureau). She has a B.S. in Social Justice and Inquiry with a minor in Communications from Arizona State University, she also obtained her LC in 2013 and her WELL AP in 2020.

Harry Aller

President

Innovative Lighting

At Innovative Lighting, Harry pushes the boundaries of existing lighting systems towards groundbreaking objectives. Prior to working with PoE Lighting, Harry owned several Iowa-based technology companies and has experience working with all phases of product integration. Harry holds a degree in Computer Engineering and has more than 25 years integrating technology in buildings.

Tyler Andrews

CEO

PoE Texas

Tyler is an influencer for Intelligent Buildings and Power Over Ethernet. He currently leads PoE Texas making technology accessible to facility owners with his unique mix of technical expertise, construction experience, and project management knowledge.

Farukh Aslam

CEO

Sinclair Holdings

Farukh Aslam is the Chief Executive Officer of Sinclair Digital Services, Inc. a low voltage design & consulting company developing Digital DC-Microgrid Buildings. Aslam has been in the telecom industry since starting a VOIP company in 1999 in Fort Worth and was a very early adopter of Cisco Call Manager, first enterprise VOIP office phone system. Also in 2003 he started a FTTH (Fiber to the Home) company in Pakistan when telecom was deregulated which was only the 3rd country in Asia to offer this technology and today has grown to over 2000 employees in several large cities. Using VOIP as a stepping stone, Aslam then began exploring more broadly the use of PoE (Power over ethernet) in creating a DC building infrastructure. In 2019, Aslam successfully developed the Sinclair Marriott Autograph Hotel which is widely considered the most diverse PoE and DC Microgrid project in North America. From the completion of the Sinclair Hotel, Aslam created Sinclair Digital (SD) to bring expertise of the sustainability and cost benefits of a DC building infrastructure to the marketplace. Since its inception SD has been involved in several design build projects and continues to evolve DC infrastructure in buildings.

Hannah Ball

Technical Sales

Rayn Growing System

Hannah Ball is the Technical Sales Specialist for RAYN Growing Systems and helps growers and researchers find the best lighting solution for their applications. A key part to matching customers with lighting systems, Hannah creates light simulations to ensure systems are optimized and meet project specifications. Previously, Hannah was a Plant Genetics Lab Manager at the University of Wyoming Research and Extension Center. There she performed genetic transformations and maintained plant material in tissue culture. Hannah then worked at Plenty as a Research Associate of Lighting. Researching the quality, duration, and intensity of light necessary to reach crop goals. She has been educating researchers and growers on RAYN Growing Systems capabilities for two years. Hannah holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology with minors in Horticulture and Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Management from the University of Wyoming in 2017 and a Master of Science in Secondary Education from Black Hills State University in 2023.

Edward Bartholomew

Principal

Bartholomew Lighting

Edward Bartholomew is the principal of Bartholomew Lighting, a Black-owned design consultancy based in Cambridge, MA. He has more than thirty years of experience designing sustainable, inspiring, and award-winning architectural lighting systems. His extensive project list includes memorials, corporate headquarters, parks, and non-profit facilities. Edward is an invited speaker on lighting technology, energy efficiency strategies, and social justice at regional, national, and international conferences. In addition, Edward has an MFA in Architectural Lighting Design (1995) from Parsons School of Design. He is a professional member of the International Association of Lighting Designers and is a LEED Accredited Professional. Edward serves on the IES Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Respect (DIER) committee. In addition, Edward is a founding member of Black United In Lighting & Design (BUILDup) and LightJustice.org —a lighting social justice resource and forum that advocates for lighting equity.

Dr. Anne Berends

Program Director of Life Science program

Seaborough BV

Dr. Anne Berends holds a PhD in materials science from Utrecht University. Currently, she is program director of the Life Science program at Seaborough. Anne and her team investigate how light affects human health and well-being, and develop technologies that improve our health and well-being while living our normal (indoor) life.

David Bergman

Founder

David Bergman Eco

David Bergman, LEED AP, CPHD, Assoc AIA, is an architect, author and professor. He is the founder of DavidBergmanEco, author of Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide and the blog EcoOptimism.com. He previously founded Fire & Water, where he designed and produced energy-efficient and materials conscious light fixtures. Bergman is the Program Director for the New York School of Interior Design’s Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments and an adjunct assistant professor at Parsons School of Design. He is a former Executive Board member of the DLFNY. He holds a BA in architecture and economics from Yale and an MArch from Princeton.

Mitchell Bloomberg

President

International Lights

As an active leader of the New York City lighting community for the past 36 years, Mitchell has extensive experience and relationships within the industry. By covering all aspects in the space throughout his tenure, including manufacturing, distribution, owning several rep agencies over the years and building International Lights to its current status, he has the expertise needed to assist clients and colleagues in every way. Mitchell takes great pride in being an IES member for over 25 years and continues to strengthen his bonds in lighting by staying connected to those in the business through many organizations and events. He recognizes that success is determined by doing the right thing and helping anywhere one can. This carries over to his personal life where he tries to give back by being involved in multiple charities and is deeply rooted in his family and community.

Dave Bratt

Regional Sales Manager

Bodine Emergency Lighting (Signify)

Dave has over 20 years of experience in the lighting industry. He has held roles in electronics manufacturing, supply chain management and sales management. He continues to educate agents, specifiers and others in the lighting community on emergency lighting technologies and products.

Joe Briscoe

Technical Sales Specialist

Leviton

Joe Briscoe is the Technical Sales Specialist for New England, New York City, and key National Accounts served out of the New England market. Joe brings a wealth of lighting control knowledge and industry experience. Beginning his career with GE, where he had product responsibility leading up to product line management. For the past 12 years, Joe has been managing the commercial business for PLC Multipoint. Joe has also been active with NEMA and IES and chaired the Energy Management Committee. Joe earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Jennifer Brons

Program Director

Light and Health Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Jennifer Brons earned her bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of California- Berkeley (cum laude) and her MS in Lighting from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Since 1997, her work has focused on lighting design applications and human factor studies for new lighting technologies. Over her more than 20-year career, Ms. Brons has developed lighting designs and specifications for a wide variety of commercial and residential clients. After practicing lighting design on sabbatical in London, she taught lighting design as part of the MS in Lighting degree program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for more than 10 years. In addition to her design and research activities, she develops educational material about the more effective use of light.

Carla Bukalski

Product Management Marketing Director

Focal Point

Carla Bukalski has a passion for lighting as evidenced in her nearly 30 years of lighting industry experience. She earned her BS in Architectural Engineering from the University of Kansas, and an MBA from Xavier University. Ms. Bukalski began her career as an electrical engineer, and after earning her professional engineer license, followed her true passion to lighting design where she worked on high-profile projects and received several design awards. She then shifted focus to lighting manufacturing where she has held positions in both luminaire and source manufacturing. Carla drew on her variety of professional experience in her position as Current’s Director of Industry Insights. She is a talented international speaker, a licensed professional engineer, is NCQLP lighting certified, and a LEED Accredited Professional.

Ajin Cho

Lighting Designer

Domingo Gonzalez Associates

Ajin Cho, is a lighting designer at Domingo Gonzalez Associates.  She graduated from Parsons MFA Lighting Design in May 2023. She studied architecture during her undergraduate and had four years of experience as a visual merchandising designer in Korea. Ajin's goal is to be an influential lighting designer who can convey the necessity of lighting design for a sustainable environment. She aims to contribute to the lighting design industry with various research and design investigations of materials and lighting strategies that could affect human life.

Jonathan Clark

Co-founder and CEO

Innerscene

Jonathan Clark, co-founder and CEO of Innerscene, is at the forefront of redefining indoor lighting. With products like Virtual Sun and Circadian Sky, Innerscene masterfully blends LEDs, sophisticated design, advanced optics, electronics, and firmware to craft an artificial skylight and window experience so authentic that, for many, it becomes indistinguishable from the real outdoors. His foray into the world of lighting was sparked by a passion for computer graphics and video games, where the ultimate aim was to immerse players in a lifelike alternate reality. This vision evolved with Innerscene, transcending the limitations of screens and flat displays to forge a connection between indoor spaces and the natural world outside. With over a decade of hands-on experience in the development, marketing, and sales of lighting products across the USA and Europe, Jonathan stands as a beacon in the lighting industry, continually pushing the boundaries of what's possible in interior illumination.

Dr. Mark Duffy

Independent Consultant

MD35 Consulting

Mark received his Ph.D. degree in Physics from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1983. He joined General Electric’s Lighting Business Group in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1984. During his career he worked on a fluorescent innovation team (2.5 yrs.), lead new product development projects in metal halide (14 yrs.) and linear fluorescent lamps (2 yrs.), served as Global LFL Systems Manager (6 yrs.) and Manager of Global Industry Standards (10.5 yrs.) for GE Lighting and GE Current, a Daintree company. In 2019, he started MD35 Consulting, LLC specializing in lighting standards development for clients. He has 23 patents and 13 lighting related publications. Mark is also active in both regional and international lighting industry standards communities. He serves as Technical Advisor to US Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of IEC TC 34 Lighting and SC 34A Light Sources and as Head of the US Delegation. He also serves as convener of the advisory group on lighting systems (AG 4) to IEC TC 34. He participates in ANSI ASC C78 Lamps, C81 Bases and Holders, C82 Ballasts and Drivers and served as chair of the policy committee from 2009 – 2019. He serves as chair of ANSI ASC C137 Lighting Systems. He was involved in the National Electric Manufacturers Association serving as chair of the Lamp Section Technical Committee for 11 years. He has been involved in the CIE-USNC since 1988 and was elected as Senior Vice-President of Technology to the Executive Committee for a four-year term beginning in 2019. Most recently, he is chairing the Zhaga Consortium General Assembly. Mark is married to Evelyn and they have three children. He enjoys spending his time with his family, golfing, hiking and outdoor experiences.

Corey Fallon

Human Factors Psychologist

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Corey Fallon is a human factors psychologist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with a MS in human factors psychology and a PhD in experimental psychology with applied experience working as a cognitive systems engineer. Fallon has studied a variety of constructs in human factors psychology throughout his career, including decision-making, emotion, situation awareness, personality, and stress. Fallon’s work at PNNL has focused on studying the human factors risks associated with the integration of new tools into existing workflows and developing training and design solution to mitigate these risks. His primary area of research focus is on human-machine teaming with a particular emphasis on improving interaction with artificial intelligence.

Mariana Figueiro

Professor and Director

Light and Health Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Mariana Figueiro, PhD, is among the world’s leading experts in the area of light and health, with a focus on bridging science to practical applications aimed at improving human quality of life. She has made a significant impact on this developing field and continues to actively expand her influence through translational research and teaching. She is the Director of the Light and Health Research Center and serves as Principal Investigator of various research projects at the Center. She regularly collaborates with lighting designers and manufacturers, through her work with the Center’s Light and Health Partners program. Dr. Figueiro previously served as the Director of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Shaun Fillion

Director, Lighting Design

RAB Lighting

Shaun Fillion, LC, LEED Green Associate, Educator IALD, CLCP is an award-winning lighting designer and educator. Fillion is Program Director for the Masters of Professional Studies in Lighting Design program at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID), as well as Director of Lighting Design at RAB Lighting. Fillion has received Illumination awards, the IES Section Meritorious Service Award and the Princess Grace Award.

Andrew Finch

VP Product and Technology Development

Brightview Technologies

Andy has over 30 years of technical and leadership experience in optics industries comprising lasers, telecom fiber-optic components and high-precision optical metrology. Prior to joining Brightview, Andy was Director of Engineering at ZYGO Corporation and held several senior engineering management and business development roles at JDS Uniphase. He has a long track record of developing engineering teams and implementing business systems that enable successful introduction of highly innovative technologies into high-volume production.

Andy earned a BA degree in Physics at Oxford University, England and both a MSc in Optoelectronic Devices and a PhD in Ultrafast Lasers from St. Andrews University, Scotland.

Daniel Frering

Director, Educational Programs

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Dan Frering has over 35 years of experience in education, educational administration, and education program and curriculum development, including 25 years of experience focused on education in lighting. Dan has developed educational programs for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and others. Currently, he is the director of educational programs for the Light and Health Research Center (LHRC) at Mount Sinai. Previous to joining the LHRC, Dan served for 24 years as the director of educational programs for the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dan has specialized experience in curriculum and educational program development, workforce training development, and online education program development in the field of lighting. Mr. Frering is a Council Member for National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP).

Lilian Fu

National Practice Lead

WSP

Lilian Fu, With over 28 years of experience in professional lighting design and currently serving as the Vice President and National Practice Lead for Lighting at WSP within Property & Buildings, Lilian has been integral to numerous award-winning projects spanning diverse sectors throughout her career, including workplace, hospitality, civic, and streetscapes. Holding a background in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University, Lilian thrives on multidisciplinary integration, fostering innovative collaborations, and mentoring staff on how best to use lighting to invigorate the spaces in which we live and work. She is a committed advocate for sustainable design, having achieved LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge recognition, and possesses expertise in Integrated Project Delivery and Lean Construction methodologies. Driven by her passion for the transformative power of light, Lilian consistently illuminates spaces with creativity and purpose, leaving an enduring imprint on the built environment.

Deborah Gottesman

Principal

Gottesman Associates

Deborah has a unique contextual understanding of lighting from all perspectives; her career spans over 30 years in all facets of the lighting industry, including design, engineering, management, education, and manufacturing. Since establishing Gottesman Associates in 1999, Deborah’s creative, rigorous, passionate and client-driven approach have brought award-winning lighting designs to a wide range of satisfied and repeat clients. An electrical engineer with an MBA in Real Property, Deborah has successfully worked on projects in many sectors, and has taught lighting at all levels to a wide audience from students at colleges and universities to senior architects.

David Grassi

Optical Engineering Manager

Lumenpulse Lighting Inc.

With more than 13 years of experience in designing optical systems for award winning architectural luminaires across a variety of applications, David Grassi has deep experience in optical design, photometric testing, photometric studies, and has supported many top Lighting Designers and Specifiers from around the world in realizing their project needs.

Christian Groom

Director of Marketing

Legrand

Christian Groom is the Director of Marketing for Legrand’s Building Control Systems division, leading the team behind the marketing and product marketing for Legrand’s Encelium, Vantage, Shading Systems, and Wattstopper brands. Christian has been with Legrand for nearly five years, where he joined as a Product Manager responsible for Wattstopper’s Digital Lighting Management product portfolio. Christian has been in the lighting & controls industry for just under 10 years and held roles in product management, marketing, and customer experience at various lighting manufacturers before joining Legrand. When Christian started in the industry – after realizing a supply chain within the energy sector wasn’t for him – he didn’t realize how much passion he would develop for lighting technology, the complex channel dynamics, and most of all, the people. He still considers himself “early in career,” and with that mentality, finds fulfillment in learning something new every day, especially when interacting with industry veterans.

Kevin Houser

Professor

Oregon State University

Kevin Houser obtained a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University in 1997, where he specialized in applied illuminating engineering. Today, he is a Professor at Oregon State University with a joint appointment at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He is the former editor-in-chief of LEUKOS, the journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) of North America and co-founder of Lyralux, Inc. He has published more than 125 publications about lighting in the built environment. His papers have been awarded the CIBSE Leon Gaster and Walsh Weston Awards and the IES Taylor Technical Talent Award three times. He is a Fellow of IES and a recipient of the IES Presidential Award. His work focuses on human perceptual and biological responses to light in a context that balances human needs with planetary health.

Dr. Shelley James

Founder

Age of Light Innovations

Dr. Shelley James is an international Light and Health Consultant, TEDx Speaker, Author, WELL Light Advisory, Faculty and AP. She is also a trained electrician, glass artist and open-water swimmer.

Kim Johnson

Chief Marketing Officer

MHT Technologies

Kim Johnson is chief marketing officer for MHT Technologies, a leader in Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) lighting and building automation software. At MHT, Johnson leads strategic marketing of the company’s core brands, products, and solutions, as well as initiatives around education, partnerships, digital strategy, and thought leadership. Prior to joining MHT, Johnson led marketing for a PoE lighting startup. During her tenure, Johnson developed and executed a multi-disciplinary branding and communications strategy that earned the business significant market exposure. Johnson was recognized for her efforts by LEDs Magazine, as a member of their inaugural class of 40 Under 40.

Anita Jorgensen

Owner

Anita Jorgensen Lighting Design

Established in 1996, Anita Jorgensen Lighting Design (AJLD) is an award winning firm committed to the design and specification of the highest quality architectural lighting systems with an emphasis on sustainable, innovative and integrated solutions. The firm specializes in providing lighting design services to architects, interior designers and owners. The firm works on a broad range of projects including medical research, healthcare, museums, libraries, commercial interiors, and cultural centers. AJLD is an intentionally small firm allowing flexibility and responsiveness to the needs of clients. Located in downtown Manhattan, AJLD is a certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), registered with the Small Business Administration, a member of the US Green Building Council and the staff includes LEED accredited lighting designers.

Tom Kaczkowski

Principal / Director of Lighting Design

HOK

Tom has been an architectural lighting designer for 36 years at HOK St Louis office. He leads the HOK Lighting Group, eight lighting designers in three HOK offices—St Louis, Kansas City, and New York with services available in all HOK offices. Tom has worked on most project types, with a heavy focus on Healthcare in last 20 years and was a lighting product designer for four fixtures including Focal Point (Facetta and Apollo w/LED Readers). As Director of Lighting Design, Tom strives to create lighting solutions carefully tailored to provide the most appropriate visual environment for the client’s specific tasks, activities and budget. Integrated interior and exterior lighting design solutions balance the art and science of ever-changing lighting technology. Tom’s lighting design solutions are architecturally appropriate while maximizing energy efficiency and sensitivity to long-term maintenance issues.

Jessica Collier Kelly

Lighting Research Engineer

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Jessica is a lighting research engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and has a background in lighting design and architecture. Her current research is focused on evaluating the application of advanced lighting and control systems through simulation and field projects in support of the U.S. DOE SSL Program.

Stacey Kennedy

Sr. Director, Healthcare Vertical

Focal Point

Stacey Kennedy has spent her professional career in a variety of roles and industries. Today she oversees product development, marketing, and sales for the healthcare vertical at Focal Point. Stacey has been with Focal Point’s parent company, Legrand, since 2015. Over the past twenty years, she has served in TV production, marketing, IT, and customer experience functions across the cable sports, financial services, healthcare, tech, and manufacturing industries. Thanks to this diverse background, Stacey brings a strong customer focus to healthcare lighting at Focal Point, which has helped her learn from the lighting designers, agents, and facilities managers who are responsible for lighting hospitals and healthcare facilities around North America. Stacey holds an MBA in IT Management from Southern New Hampshire University and a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Kansas. She’s an advisory member of the IES Healthcare Facilities Lighting Committee, and holds memberships in the AIA and the National Association of Medical Facility Professionals. Stacey resides in Connecticut.

Chelsea Kreielsheimer

Senior Lighting Designer

Atelier Ten

Chelsea leads creative and sustainable lighting design solutions for Atelier Ten with a focus on landscape and office design. As a senior lighting designer, Chelsea navigates the design, development, and production of large-scale lighting design projects across industries. Much of her work has focused on reducing environmental impact, where she has prioritized carbon reduction and human centered lighting design. In her time at Atelier Ten, she has earned both LEED AP ID+C and WELL AP certifications. Chelsea enjoys being involved in multiple industry organizations including GreenLight Alliance, Women In Lighting Design, IES and IALD. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in Interior Design and is based in New York.

Wojciech Kryspin

Outdoor Product Development Director

Vizulo

Wojciech Kryspin, MSc is a specialist in VIZULO, with already 17 years of experience in professional lighting. As an Outdoor Product Development Director, he provides extensive technical support both at the stage of implementation and sales of products around the world. Only this year, he has already conducted conferences and product trainings in Sweden, France, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Australia, USA and many other countries.

Wojciech has a background in electronics and electrical engineering, specializing in Lighting Technology. After graduation at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Poland, he has started as a lighting designer where over many years, he has completed thousands of lighting projects both indoor and outdoor throughout the Europe.

His next roles as a product and quality manager and very close cooperation with R&D departments, factories and lighting labs allowed him to further expand his detailed knowledge in terms of practical aspects and the use of products in real projects. Now he continues his fascinating journey through the lighting business and as he claims, his inborn curiosity does not allow him to pass by a new product indifferently, before he first opens it, breaks it and then fixes it back.

Sean Lafferty

President & CEO

Steinel America

Sean Lafferty is President & CEO of Steinel America, driving fast paced growth and digital transformation of lighting controls and industrial heat tools. He is an experienced Board Chair with expertise in revenue growth and strategic planning, and passionate about technology that improves sustainability and wellness. He has worked in technology for almost 30 years and has a passion for applying technology into industrial applications that drive energy savings, human wellness and resilience.

Sean has developed wireless IoT applications for Building Intelligence that are driven by sensors, analytics and artificial intelligence. He brings advanced technologies and data driven solutions to industrial products such as light fixtures, HVAC systems and industrial hand tools.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Steinel America, he grew the lighting controls revenue by 100% in year one and achieved 30% CAGR during his first 5 years. He has built a traditional lighting channel approach through manufacturers reps, leveraged energy code to drive rapid sales growth, and led the digital transformation of Steinel’s world class sensor technologies. As Sales Leader of LG Electronics LED Lighting business, he developed an energy focused retrofit product line and sales channel that launched the business in the US, and served as a global model for lighting revenue growth.

Sean is currently serving on the Advisory Board for Marquette University’s S-Lab, a cross-disciplinary project that aims to research and disseminate knowledge, foster and develop leaders in sustainability and stewardship. He is an advocate for sustainable sustainability, driven by results that make environmental and energy practices practical.

Sean led a new business launch for an American company in Italy and led American divisions of both German and Korean companies. He has led strategic consulting engagements in over 12 countries on four continents and has a global mindset to understand global business culture.

Mike Lehman

General Manager

ConTech Lighting, a Leviton Company

Michael Lehman LC, MIES, LEED AP ID+C, GGP, CLCP is a Lighting Industry and Design professional with over 30 years of experience. He is the General Manager of ConTech Lighting, a Leviton Company. He has worked as a designer and for other lighting organizations in different positions including Application Engineering, Marketing, Product Development, Strategy, Operations, Sales, and Training. He designed hundreds of projects for many different applications including architecture, theatre, and entertainment. He serves on the NCQLP Exam Writing Committee, acts as the Indoor Environment Subcommittee Chair for the Green Globes ANSI Consensus Body, serves on the WELL Light Advisory Committee, is Chair of the IES Light and Design Committee, and is a member if the IES Retail committee. He has held several other committee positions in the past, including Chair of the Green Globes ANSI Consensus Body, Chair of the Greenbuild SPWG, LEED IE TAG member, and with several other IES committees. He is an Adjunct Professor at Harper College, where he has taught for over 20 years and has also taught at Northwestern and Purdue. He has presented at industry trade shows and is an AIA and USGBC Education Provider and Reviewer. He has earned several awards for New Product Design and for Lighting Design. He earned both a B.A. in theater and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota, and he earned a M.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He completed two Graduate Programs at Harvard, one in Health and the other in Sustainability. His continuing passion is to create and educate about the Lighting Experience, which is designing to benefit people, our places, and our planet alike.

Sahil Lotia

Senior Lighting Designer

Mulvey & Banani Lighting

Sahil Lotia is a Senior Lighting Designer at Mulvey & Banani Lighting, based in Toronto, Ontario. With a Master's degree in Lighting Design from the New York School of Interior Design and a multifaceted career that spans roles with leading manufacturers and lighting design firms, Sahil brings a unique blend of creativity and technical expertise to his body of work. His proficiency in a variety of light modeling software and application based knowledge of DMX controls and the respective programming tools adds a technological edge to his skill set. Sahil's award winning body of work includes but is not limited to projects from different facets such as commercial interior and mixed-use residential lighting, public realm art and sculpture lighting and heritage and landscape lighting.

Wendy Luedtke

Product Technology Specialist

ETC

As ETC’s product technology specialist for color, Wendy is part of the Advance Research Group and focuses across product areas on color exploration, science, and standards. She is a member and past chair of the IES Color Committee and a member of both ESTA’s Photometrics Working Group and USA-829.

C. Webster Marsh

Lighting and Controls Sales, Design, and Specifications CLCP, MIES

Penumbra Controls

C. Webster Marsh is a Project Manager for Boston Illumination Group and the Owner of Penumbra Controls, where he provides lighting controls design and specification guidance and education. Webster brings over 15 years of applied experience with lighting and controls, and he enjoys sharing his wealth of knowledge with the lighting and lighting controls industry. Webster is a Certified Lighting Controls Practitioner (CLCP), Lighting Controls Association contributor, instructor for the Southern California Edison Energy Education Centers, member of the Lighting Agora, member of the IESNA, and past speaker for Lightfair, IES Annual Conference, and LEDucation. In his spare time, Webster is a contributor to the Lighting Controls Association's educational resources and co-hosts the Lighting Controls Podcast.

Christien Methot

Lighting Designer

Design One Lighting Design

Christien is a lighting designer specializing in architecture and entertainment. Since 1996, his firm Design One Lighting Design has partnered with a wide array of clients such as RXR, MdeAS Architects, the US Open, Oscar de la Renta, Duggal Visual Solutions, Sage Realty Group, and so many more. Most recently, he lit the new facade of the Gershwin Theater, the NAPA Auto Expo in Las Vegas, and art galleries at Columbia University Teachers College. He enjoys collaborating with artistic and technical teams to make memorable installations. Lighting is magic and is his muse.

Eric Miller

CEO

Avi-on Labs, Inc.

Mr. Miller is co founder and CEO/CTO of Avi-on Labs Inc. He has over 30 years as a senior executive and innovator in energy and wireless networking, and over 10 years in wireless lighting controls specifically. Prior to founding Avi-on Labs Mr. Miller was a senior executive at a number of public and private companies including Itron, Inc. and Trilliant, Inc.

Jay Neitz

Professor of Ophthalmology and Color Vision Researcher

University of Washington

Jay Neitz PhD holds the Bishop endowed Professorship in Ophthalmology at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. He seeks to understand how the human visual system operates by studying the entire process of seeing, from genes to behavior. He has discovered how genetic mutations influence the most common vision problems that affect modern humans, including myopia, colorblindness and disrupted circadian rhythm. He is the leading expert on the of study the role of color information in driving behavior including the influence of color on circadian rhythms. His research has also triggered a reconsideration of how neural circuits for seeing color and drive rhythms become established, and he has been working out the neurobiological mechanisms driving the circadian rhythm using a combination of reconstructions of retinal circuitry from serial electron microcopy, electrophysiology and psychophysics. Jay Neitz received his PhD from the University of California in Santa Barbara.

Lya Osborn

North America Regional Director

Unolai Lighting Design

Lya S. Osborn is a multidisciplinary designer, writer, literary translator, and the founder of a collaborative workshop in Seattle, WA. Lya also serves as the North America Regional Director for Unolai Lighting Design and has contributed to a broad range of award-winning international design projects over the past eight years. Lya received a double MFA in Lighting Design and Interior Design from Parsons The New School for Design, where her thesis work challenged the industry norms and incentives which have long defined a designer's role in society, proposing alternate modes of directing design resources to historically underserved or disadvantaged populations. Lya is a member of the International Association of Lighting Designers, the Illuminating Engineering Society, and the International Dark Sky Association, and is Community Friendly Lighting Certified.

William Paddock

Founder and Managing Director

WAP Sustainability

William Paddock is the founder & managing director of WAP Sustainability, a global provider of sustainability services that include carbon accounting, lifecycle assessments, toxicological assessments, product transparency programs, and supply chain sustainability services. He is widely recognized as an expert at the measurement of sustainability in products and operations. His clients range from Fortune 100's to innovative start-ups, retailers to private equity firms, insurance companies to tech companies. Since 2008, William has been helping organizations understand sustainability and navigate lower carbon pursuits. Over his career he has accumulated professional credentials carbon accounting from the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI) and EcoCanada (EP(ghg)) and been awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from GHGMI. Paddock is a Board Member for the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) (outgoing), American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA), and The Model Forest Policy program. He services in a variety of advisory roles including a start-up mentor for RMI's Third Derivative Accelerator, EcoSystem Partner for the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) - Living Product Challenge (LPC), Past Chair of the LEED Materials and Resource Technical Advisory Committee (MR TAG), and Technical Committee Member to the Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC).

Leora Radetsky

Senior Lighting Scientist

DesignLights Consortium

Leora Radetsky is the LUNA Program Director and a Senior Lighting Scientist at the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) where she focuses on developing lighting solutions that promote energy optimization, quality, human factors, and performance in the areas of horticultural and architectural lighting. She has 25 years of experience in the lighting industry as a research scientist with the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Director of Customer Education at Lighting Analysts, Inc. She has extensive research and engineering experience in horticultural lighting, lighting software, product testing, lighting controls, photometry, daylighting, outdoor lighting and circadian rhythms. In 2014, she was awarded an IES Regional Technical Award from the Northeast region for her significant scientific contributions to the field of illumination. Leora has a B.S. in Architectural Engineering with an Emphasis in Illumination from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and an M.S. in Lighting from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is Lighting Certified by the NCQLP.

Mark Rea

Professor

Light and Health Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Mark S. Rea, PhD, is a professor at the Light and Health Research Center and an expert in human vision, lighting engineering, human factors, photobiology, psychology, and light and health. He is the author of more than 100 scientific and technical articles related to vision, lighting engineering, and human factors and was the editor-in-chief of the 8th and 9th editions of the IESNA Lighting Handbook. His current research projects include the development of new metrics to improve the acceptance of energy-efficient lighting technologies, the study of the effects of light on circadian disruption, and research on reducing the market barriers to widespread use of energy-efficient lighting. Dr. Rea has conducted groundbreaking research in the areas of human visual performance, visual efficacy at nighttime light levels, and light and human health.

Lisa J. Reed

Principal

Reed Burkett Lighting Design

As Principal of Reed Burkett Lighting Design, Lisa J. Reed contributes thoughtful passion for lighting and a spirit of collaboration to her projects. She delights in bringing spaces to life with quality lighting, and concern for the environment influences her work. Lisa is an award-winning lighting designer with 30 years of experience, ranging from energy management to electrical engineering to lighting design. Her range of experience includes millions of square feet of commercial space, hotels and resorts from coast to coast, houses of worship, museums, parks, and healthcare facilities. As a thought leader in the lighting industry, she regularly speaks to local and international audiences. Lisa is an advocate for diversity in lighting and she is focused on creating a better workplace for women, parents, and all people. She founded Ladies of Lighting in St. Louis and helped expand WILD (Women in Lighting + Design) across the United States. She received the 2014 IES Presidential Award for her work with Emerging Professionals. In 2020, she was named by St. Louis Construction News and Review (CNR) as one of the top 20 women in construction in St. Louis. In 2021, the international organization Women in Lighting (WIL) recognized her as one of the top supporters of other women in the industry. In 2022, she was awarded a Distinguished Service Award by the IES. In March of 2023, she was recognized as a Top Woman Business Owner by St. Louis Small Business Monthly magazine.

Yan Ren-Butcher

Senior Plant Scientist

RAYN

Yan Ren-Butcher, Ph.D., is a Technical Sales Plant Scientist at RAYN Growing Systems (parent company-ETC). After earning her Ph.D. in Horticulture Science from Texas A&M University in 2011, Yan began her professional career as a Plant Scientist at Phillips Research, the lighting company. In addition to managing various research projects with universities, she co-published the results of multiple studies in peer-reviewed journals. In 2015, she started a Product Manager role at Hubbell Lighting to facilitate photobiology findings into new product developments. Afterwards, she shifted back to the scientific world and served as Director of Horticulture Science at Illumitex, a leading LED horticultural lighting company, until August 2019. Her job focused primarily on providing horticultural LED lighting educational trainings and scientific contents for marketing materials (such as white papers, grower guides and blogs), leading product trials, collaborating with research institutions and universities, as well as providing sales support to customers/growers. She represented previous companies as a member of several standard development committees. With her years of work experience in horticultural lighting for controlled environmental agriculture (CEA), she joined an indoor vertical farming company, 80 Acres Farms, from 2021 to 2022 as a Plant Scientist, to lead multiple research projects helping improve grow recipes in several leafy green crops.

Yan possesses countless years of experience, focusing largely on helping to bridge the knowledge gap between lighting and horticulture to ensure her customers understand the value of lighting technology to discover the right lighting solutions for their applications. She also enjoyed being a conference speaker / guest lecturer to teach fundamental or advanced level classes to illustrate effects of light on plant growth and development as well as LED applications in Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA).

David Robinson

Director of Automation

Mecho | Shading Solutions

David Robinson is the Director of Automation at Mecho with over 30 years experience in the lighting and controls industry. He is responsible for developing the sales and marketing strategies of the automated PoE shading solutions with SolarTrac® and has delivered numerous papers informing the design community of the importance of the synergy between automated shades and automated lighting control systems in the delivery of Smart Sustainable Building designs.

Sarah Safranek

Lighting Research Associate

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Sarah joined PNNL as a Lighting Research Associate in September of 2017. Prior to joining PNNL, Sarah contributed to research at the University of Colorado for the Architectural Engineering’s Building Systems program with an emphasis on lighting. Sarah’s work and research involves conducting lighting simulations and field evaluations of advanced lighting systems in support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solid-State Lighting Program.

Levent Sahin

Adjunct Faculty/ Research Scientist

CCNY

Dr. Levent Sahin brings over two decades of expertise as a research scientist and lighting design professional, dedicating his career to unraveling the profound impact of light on diverse populations. His extensive portfolio spans the visual and non-visual effects of light, targeting groups such as students, shift workers, military personnel, and the elderly with cognitive impairments. Dr. Sahin's meticulous research has yielded profound scientific insights, resulting in evidence-based applications and numerous highly cited publications in leading peer-reviewed technical and scientific journals. A pioneer in the field, Dr. Sahin's groundbreaking discovery showcases the alertness-promoting effect of red light, which is currently undergoing practical testing, demonstrating its potential to enhance acute alertness without disrupting circadian rhythms. This innovation is finding applications in real-world settings, including federal offices overseen by the General Services Administration, US Air Force control rooms, and the Metro Istanbul dispatch center. Expanding his impact, Dr. Sahin delves into the realm of Alzheimer’s disease, exploring the effective use of 40 Hz flickering light as a therapeutic approach. His academic journey boasts a Ph.D. from the esteemed Lighting Research Center and an MSc in Industrial Product Design. He is the Founder and Head of Research at Conditioned Light Research | Consulting providing services in lighting research, design, and education. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at CCNY Spitzer School of Architecture.

James Salazar

Director of Sustainability

WAP Sustainability

James Salazar is an internationally regarded expert in the field life cycle assessment, serving on the United States ISO technical committee (TC207) tasked with developing international standards on LCA practice. In his current role as Sustainability Director with WAP Sustainability, James manages LCA and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) projects, with a focus on large-scale industry projects to support emerging buy-clean requirements across North America. Most recently, Salazar is leading the LCA analysis of five key architectural performance luminaires, producing the first Industry-Average EPDs for the lighting industry through the Greenlight Alliance LCA Incubator pilot. As former Director of EPD Services with the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute and Principal of Coldstream Consulting, James has developed LCAs and EPDs for a range of building products. In addition to EPD development, James has also served as a methodology advisor for Athena’s Impact Estimator for Buildings software. Salazar has also developed LCA-based calculators for building materials including concrete and advised on material-specific issues such as biogenic carbon. The concrete EPD software developed by Coldstream Consulting is currently used by multiple industry associations (PCI, ACPA, CRMCA, CPCI) to produce concrete EPDs as well as several hundred concrete facilities. Salazar is a member of the North American Product Category Rules Committee reviewing luminaire life cycle assessment frameworks.

Jose Dos Santos

Head of Design and User Experience, Americas

Signify

Jose dos Santos has more than 30 years of experience in design and design management. He started his career as an industrial designer in Portugal. Dos Santos founded and sold two European design companies and served as Chief Design Officer for a large Internet company. In 2011, dos Santos joined Masco as a design director and stepped into his current role as Signify’s Head of Design, Americas in 2016. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy for design(er) leadership in large corporations from the European University. He also earned a master’s degree in industrial design from Central Saint Martins in the UK and an executive master’s degree in product design and development from Northwestern University. Dos Santos has focused his work on user-centric design, and he is a diversity, equity and inclusion champion at Signify and within the lighting industry.

Shoshanna Segal

Principal

Hartranft Lighting Design

Shoshanna Segal believes in the power of light to make the world a more equitable and accessible place. She uses both the artistic and scientific sides of her brain to illuminate the spaces where people live, work, and learn because this is the way she can effect change for the greatest number of people. Years of professional practice have taught her that lighting provides opportunities to realize synergies among technology, social interaction, and commerce. Ms. Segal practices creating these synergies as a senior designer at Hartranft Lighting Design. She is among the first professionals in the world to achieve the international certification CLD and is serving currently as president of the IESNYC. Shanna firmly believes that all lighting professionals should drink bourbon.

Jane Slade

Specification Sales Manager

Speclines

Jane Slade, MID, LC, IES is the Specification Sales Manager for Speclines in Massachusetts, a lighting manufacturer’s representative agency specializing in public outdoor lighting through an interdisciplinary approach of blending design, science and the latest technology. She is a lighting educator and researcher at Anatomy of Night (www.anatomyofnight.com), researching the many ways in which light impacts our environment, human health, wildlife, biodiversity, and interdependence. Jane is the host of the podcast Starving for Darkness, which advocates for sustainable lighting and was accepted into the 2021 Progress Report of the IES. Jane Slade is the International Dark-Sky Association’s 2021 Dark Sky Defender for North America, and a Richard Kelly Grant recipient for explorations into the social and emotional impacts of light and lighting, through her work in creating lighting fixtures from waste materials in India, and through art installations focused on manipulating emotional experiences with light and color. She is a member of the IES Outdoor Nighttime Environment (ONE) Committee and a contributor to LD+A on the topic of Wildlife, and is currently writing a book about the natural daylight cycle. In her spare time, she is a yoga teacher.

Meg Smith

Independent Contractor

lwlumens

Meg Smith has extensive experience working with lighting professionals, research organizations and utilities in the sustainable and intelligent lighting design marketplace. In her current role as an independent consultant, Meg identifies application and innovation opportunities, working collaboratively with researchers and business leaders, synthesizing technical and market insights to drive innovation towards user-centric, differentiated solutions. Meg is NCQLP Lighting Certified (LC) and an active member of the IESNA. She currently serves on the and the IES Sustainability committee and served on the IES Light and Human Health Committee. Additionally, Meg is both a LEED and WELL accredited professional.

Jessica Smith

Senior Lighting Designer

Stantec

Jessica Smith, LC, WELL AP, is a Penn State graduate in Architectural Engineering with a focus in architectural lighting and electrical design. She has previous experience working in lighting consulting and electrical design build. Her project work spans many markets, including corporate interiors, government, civic, transportation, and landscape design. Her background in engineering brings a technical, problem-solving approach to her designs, and encourages a drive for full discipline coordination early on projects. Each project allows her to combine the artful integration of lighting science and design to deliver an efficient solution for the client and end users.

Tom Stoll

Product Manager

Bodine Emergency Lighting

Tom has over 25 years of experience in the lighting industry and over 30 years of experience in engineering, management and product development. He has a BSEE from (Thee) Ohio State University, an MSEE from the University of Memphis and an MEM (Master of Engineering Management) from Christian Brothers University and a supplemental certificate from MIT's Sloan School of Management in Economics. He has patents in the US and globally and is still involved in product development for the emergency lighting industry.

Luis Suau

Co-founder and Chief Business Officer

Sinclair Digital

Luis Suau is co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Sinclair Digital as well as an independent Digital Building Consultant in his own practice, Luis Suau Consulting LLC. A 26-year veteran of Cisco, Luis previously worked as a Technical Leader in Cisco's IOT Business Unit. He was a key member in developing Cisco's Digital Ceiling and Digital Building Solutions. After the completion and opening of the highly innovative Marriott Sinclair Hotel, Luis left Cisco to pursue his passion of expanding the scope of Digital Building Systems with a goal of developing a Building as a DC Microgrid.

Kathryn Toth

Architectural Lighting Designer

Theia Lighting Design

Kathryn Toth is an award-winning architectural lighting designer who strives to create artistic lighting solutions. Her projects include exterior, landscape, retail, commercial, and residential projects around the globe. Working to create the visual atmosphere and enhance the space is her specialty. Kathryn is an active and instrumental member of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Recommended Practice for Landscape Lighting and the IES Outdoor Nighttime Environments (ONE) committees, a member of the DarkSky International, and a board member of the International Landscape Lighting Institute (ILLI).

Henri Uutela

Business Development Manager

Ledil

With an extensive 14 years' experience in the LED optics market, I have had the chance to become a true expert in optics at LEDiL and a dedicated advocate for good lighting. As Business Development Manager I cooperate closely with customers and partners in the shared ecosystem of light. I have a background in electronics engineering, and a keen interest in advancing innovative lighting concepts for the global lighting community. With a strong focus on emerging concepts and trends, I am passionate about discussing how to perfect lighting in different applications. In the last couple of years, I have been actively involved in dialogue with both lighting designers and luminaire manufacturers around the world, discussing good lighting practices and how to harness the full potential that quality optics bring to indoor lighting applications.

Attila Uysal

Partner

Lumenarch

Attila Uysal has been practicing lighting design in New York City for over 25 years. He joined SBLD in 1996 and became a partner in 2002. Attila has since joined the Lumen Architecture PLLC team as of 2019.

With his architectural training and industrial design background, he is well suited to complex architectural interior and exterior projects. Attila's passion is in the detail and technical challenges that each project represents. He believes that lighting design becomes increasingly multifaceted and nuanced, encompassing a diverse array of demand, using more creative and innovative design approaches, technologies and methodologies.

Throughout his 23-year tenure at SBLD, he has served with his designer and leadership capacity for many of the firm's significant project types including interior, exterior and historic restoration. He specializes in the design and detailing of custom light fixtures and daylighting analysis.

As a lighting designer and a teacher, with his architectural training and industrial design background, he continues to evolve his design vision through technical investigation and academia. He is interested in exploring the link between architecture and lighting (both daylighting and electrical lighting) with the emphasis being on energy saving, controls and sustainability. Mr. Uysal continues teaching at NY School of Interior Design and has an active relationship as a visiting design critic at the Parsons Schools of Design.

Graham Whittaker

Regional Director of Sales, Metro New York

Zumtobel

Graham looks back on a career over 30 years in the lighting Industry. Originally from the UK, he studied product design, but switched to lighting design thereafter. He worked two years at ERCO in the application team and five successful years as a Lighting Designer/Consultant at Equation.

Graham has lectured extensively three continents and has spoken at conferences in Europe, Australia, and the US. While in the UK he was part of the team that created the British Council for Offices 'Guide to Lighting'. In Australia he worked with the Green Building Council on the creation of a Lighting Comfort Credit. With the aim to recognize and encourage the design of well-lit spaces that provide a high degree of comfort to users.

In addition to working with the GBCA, Graham was an active member of the Lighting Council of Australia. Teaming up with the heads of various manufactures and Australian Standards to work on various lighting topics that effected the lighting community in Australia.

Since arriving in the US he has been an active member of the IALD LIRC and is part of the team to introduce IALD first CEU lighting program LERN. Graham has filled multiple leading lighting application roles within Zumtobel both in the UK and Australia before joining the US team in 2015 as Director of Lighting Application his current role Regional Director of Sales, Metro New York

Henry Wong

Senior Manager, Market Development

Bluetooth Special Interest Group

Henry Wong is responsible for market development at Bluetooth SIG, working with Bluetooth member companies and other influencers to identify opportunities in strategic markets and develops plans and programs to grow awareness of key Bluetooth development and adoption projects, such as networked lighting control, digital key, and broadcast audio.

Joining the Bluetooth SIG in 2020, Henry has an extensive background in IC design, product marketing, business development, product management, and product development. He is also an inventor who holds multiple patents.

Scott Ziegenfus

VP Customer Experience, Controls and Software

Current Lighting

Scott Ziegenfus is Vice President of Customer Experience, Software and Controls for Current Lighting. Scott has spent 30 years in the lighting industry, mostly with controls, working for Current Lighting, Hubbell Lighting Inc., and Lutron Electronics Inc., Scott also spent the last 15 years on ASHRAE’s SSPC135 BACnet Committee writing the BACnet Standard and only person from the lighting industry to hold an officer position presently serving as Vice Chairman. He is also a past chair of BACnet International’s Education committee and a past recent recipient of BACnet International’s “Leader of the Pack” award. He has written multiple articles about BMS Integration and BACnet for publications like Consulting Specifying Engineer, Electroindustry, BACnet Foundations, BACnet Journal, and ASHRAE Journal.