Nine Lightapalooza Education Tracks!

Bruce Clark launched Kaleidolight Lighting Design in 2020, a practice focused on the Custom Integration industry. Early on, he was asked to describe his approach to lighting and design to potential partners. Rather than limiting his role to just “design,” Bruce embraced the title "Lighting Sherpa," someone who helps guide others through their lighting challenges. Whether through design services, educational content, or clarifying specifications, Bruce is committed to making lighting more accessible and actionable for both industry partners and clients. He doesn’t do the work for you but works alongside you to ensure successful project outcomes and a deeper understanding of lighting.

Bruce has developed and delivered training, led coaching groups, consulted on projects, and advised trade groups and rep firms, helping integrators nationwide build effective lighting strategies. Now, with the Illuminated Lighting Design Services team, Bruce continues to share his passion and expertise with a broader audience.Our leadership development experts will help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to be an effective leader. We offer a full range of leadership development services including leadership training, executive coaching, and team building.

Peter has over 20 years of experience in both architectural and theatrical lighting design. His company, Conceptual Lighting, LLC, is a diverse architectural lighting design firm that develops lighting systems for a variety of commercial and residential spaces. Houses of worship, restaurants, educational facilities, health care facilities, and exterior landscape lighting are all common project types handled by the firm. The small size of the firm assures attention to detail and a personal commitment to each project. Peter Romaniello’s theatrical lighting design background allows for an approach to lighting that is both aesthetically pleasing and technologically correct.

Tim Ryan is the Vice President and a Senior Lighting Designer at Lighthouse Design Studio. With a background in landscape design and construction, Tim's passion for lighting began early in his career as he integrated illumination into his landscape projects. By 2003, captivated by the transformative power of light in outdoor spaces, he transitioned fully into the world of landscape lighting.  

Beyond his work in lighting design, Tim is an accomplished professional photographer, specializing in capturing the interplay of light and shadow in landscape architecture, outdoor environments, and illuminated spaces. His experience behind the lens has provided him with a unique perspective on composition, contrast, and the emotional impact of lighting. This artistic eye informs his approach to lighting design, helping him craft visually compelling and immersive nighttime environments.  

Since 2015, Tim has been an executive manager with Lighthouse, where he collaborates with top-tier professionals in landscape design, home integration, and architecture to continue to push the art of landscape lighting design. He is also deeply committed to the education and mentorship of future outdoor lighting designers, actively engaging with the industry’s leading educational organizations to ensure the continued growth and refinement of this specialized art form. 

Industry Leadership Engagement

·  BOD Member- International Landscape Lighting Institute

·  BOD Member- Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals

·  Technical Committee Advisor- IES, Illumination Engineering Society

David Warfel is founding designer of Light Can Help You, author, and educator at the crossroads of architecture, light, and integration.  He is former head of the graduate lighting design program at the University of Illinois.

David’s company, online at lightcanhelpyou.com, built the revolutionary Signature Custom Lighting Design service to be an affordable, easy, and highly professional option for lighting design.  The LCHY team partners with custom integrators nationwide to help them grow in lighting fixture sales and navigate the complex and rapidly changing world of light. 

His design credits range from projects at Carnegie Hall and Las Vegas’ Luxor to Chicago’s Hyde Park Arts Center and multiple themed spaces for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.   His work and writing have been featured in Technology Design, Fine Homebuilding, Lighting Australia, and multiple times on Houzz.com.  David blogs at languageoflight.blog and lives in Madison, WI.

Greg Barrett is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience in lighting and control systems, holding an MFA in Architectural Lighting Design from Parsons School of Design. Over the last decade, his work has significantly shaped the industry. Currently the Director of Product Management for Professional Lighting at Savant Systems, Greg has held key leadership roles, including Director of Specifier Development and Product Category Director for Lighting and Shades. His tenure at Savant followed impactful roles at Ecosense and USAI Lighting, where he specialized in product management and marketing, driving innovation in both lighting and control technology.

Prior to Savant, Greg spent three years at USAI Lighting, managing and marketing lighting products while overseeing their market positioning. At Ketra, Greg honed his product management skills, leading product development and sales enablement for their lighting and control portfolio. His early career saw extensive experience as a freelance lighting designer and theatrical electrician, working with clients such as Disney, BET, and The Public Theatre. Through his various roles, Greg has developed a strong expertise in integrating design, technology, and market education, all while maintaining his passion for how lighting influences perception, emotions, and health.

Biographical Sketch – Craig A. Bernecker, Ph.D., FIESNA, LC

Dr. Bernecker has been a lighting educator for over 40 years. He is founder of The Lighting Education Institute, providing education to practicing professionals, and Professor of Lighting Design and Director of the Masters of Fine Arts in Lighting Design program at Parsons School of Design, The New School.  Prior to founding The Lighting Education Institute, he directed the lighting education program within the Department of Architectural Engineering at Penn State University. He has published more than fifty articles on research and education in lighting design and illumination engineering and is known for his work on the psychological aspects of lighting.  He also maintains an active consulting practice, providing lighting design services and serving as an expert consultant on many projects and as an expert witness on many legal cases.  He regularly serves as a peer reviewer for lighting research proposals and projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

He further served for 15 years as Educational Facilitator for LIGHTFAIR International, coordinating the development of the annual conference program, and regularly taught the IES online lighting certification review course in preparation for the NCQLP LC exam.

Dr. Bernecker has served the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) as Vice-President for Technical and Research Activities (1991-1993) and Vice-President for Educational Activities (1993-1995).  More recently, he served the Society in its highest office, as Senior Vice-President for 2003-2004, President for 2004-2005, and Immediate Past President for 2005-2006.  As a result of his contributions to lighting education, the Society named him a Fellow in 1991, and for his service to the IES, the Distinguished Service Award in 2017.  In 2021 he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the LIT Lighting Design Awards program, and in 2024 received the Edison Report Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Bernecker is currently President (2023-2027) of the United States National Committee (USNC) of the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), and U.S. Technical Representative to Division 3: Interior Lighting..

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.

Kevin Houser (PhD, PE, FIES, LC, LEED AP) is a Professor at Oregon State University, Chief Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, co-founder of Lyralux, Inc., and former editor-in-chief of LEUKOS, the journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). He has published more than 150 publications about light and lighting, has been awarded 5 patents for innovations in light source spectral design, and has shared his insights and discoveries globally through more than 135 presentations delivered across six continents. He’s won the CIBSE Leon Gaster and Walsh Weston Awards, three IES Taylor Technical Talent Awards, an Edison Report Lifetime Achievement Award, the IES Presidential Award, and is a Fellow of IES. His work focuses on human perceptual and biological responses to light, endeavoring to balance human needs with planetary health.

Dennis's passion for custom integration began over 20 years ago when he founded Maverick Integration in 2003, building it into one of the nation's leading design and system integration firms. Under his leadership, Maverick grew to a CE Pro 100 top-ranked company with operations across New England and Florida, specializing in whole-house audio, home theater, lighting control, and automation.

With extensive experience leading integration teams and developing comprehensive technology solutions for residential and commercial clients, Dennis has become a recognized visionary in the industry. Today, through his venture Maverick Lite, Dennis provides comprehensive lighting design services for leading integration companies and offers consulting services, leveraging his deep design and engineering expertise on the industry's most challenging and valuable projects.

ason, the founder of I am Sayen, is a Process Architect and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt who helps companies define “HOW” they operate and eliminate the Process Void through Workflow Documentation.  Jason guides teams in transforming undefined processes into clear, scalable operations.

Drawing on over 30 years in the Consumer Electronics Industry, Jason has held key leadership roles with top CEDIA manufacturers, a national distributor, and an award-winning rep firm. His deep industry knowledge, combined with his expertise in process improvement, positions him as a go-to authority for companies seeking to align their teams, streamline operations, and build a solid foundation for growth.

Beyond consulting, Jason actively contributes to the industry delivering CEU courses that elevate industry standards to Architects and Designers around the country

Angie's passion for smart home technology began over 25 years ago at LiteTouch, where she spent nearly a decade introducing lighting control solutions to electrical contractors and integrators, gaining deep insights into the sophisticated trades and influencers that shape every luxury construction project. Her ability to bridge the gap between innovative technology and the resourcefulness of residential specifiers and contractors became the foundation of her career.

With extensive experience in sales, marketing, education, and customer support leadership, Angie spent over four years as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at LiteTouch before joining Savant in 2012. Today, as Senior Vice President of Professional Solutions at Savant, she oversees all front-end business operations and has helped establish the operational backbone that enables the company to scale into new product categories, connecting innovative integrator tools and devoted sales leaders with the best integrators and contractors across the globe while evangelizing Savant's latest control solutions at technology tradeshows worldwide.

Jimmy Paschke is a seasoned sales and marketing executive with extensive experience in the consumer electronics and systems integration sectors. Currently serving as the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Apex Technologies US since June 2022, Pashke leads initiatives in Gastonia, NC, focusing on innovative solutions in the technology landscape.

Prior to his role at Apex Technologies, Pashke was the Director of Residential Sales at SurgeX, where from May 2014 to June 2022, he championed the sales team and significantly contributed to the company's dominance in surge elimination products within the CE space. His efforts were pivotal in reinforcing SurgeX's foundation in the residential channel, enhancing product visibility and sales.

Pashke's career is also marked by significant roles at Core Brands and Panamax, where he was Director of CI Sales. At Core Brands, from August 2012 to May 2014, and at Panamax, from August 2010 to September 2012, he led sales initiatives that deepened market penetration and expanded sales networks across North America.

Joe Piccirilli's passion for consumer electronics and systems integration began over 40 years ago, leading him through an extraordinary career that has shaped multiple industries. As co-founder of Sound Advice, he built a publicly held retail company that grew to nearly $25 million in annual volume across 25 locations before transitioning to consulting in 1989, where he discovered his true calling in helping businesses and manufacturers succeed.

With extensive experience in product launch strategies, sales training programs, and distribution development for industry leaders including Sony, Denon, Polk, and Infinity, Joseph co-founded AVAD and grew it to over $200 million in sales before its acquisition by Ingram Micro. Today, at RoseWater Energy Group, he oversees manufacturing, sales, and distribution of residential power storage technology, leveraging his deep industry expertise and recognition as one of CE Pro's Top 20 Most Influential People to advance innovative energy solutions for automated residences.

Chad's passion for consumer electronics began over 30 years ago selling car audio, sparking a journey that would take him through the golden era of custom integration at Showcase Home Entertainment in Arizona, where he sold more distributed audio, video, and control systems than anyone in the country at the time. His deep expertise in control systems and content delivery led him through leadership roles at industry pioneers including Kaleidescape, Crestron, Atlona, and Josh.ai.

With extensive experience in regional sales management, dealer development, and business transformation across both manufacturer and distributor perspectives, Chad has become a recognized influencer and CEDIA Certified Outreach Instructor for over 16 years. Today, as Director of Sales for Residential North America at SurgeX | AMETEK Power Quality Solutions, he oversees innovative power protection solutions for the custom integration market, leveraging his deep industry expertise to help customers proactively mitigate power quality issues and create lasting partnerships in an ever-evolving technology landscape.

Greg Barrett is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience in lighting and control systems, holding an MFA in Architectural Lighting Design from Parsons School of Design. Over the last decade, his work has significantly shaped the industry. Currently the Director of Product Management for Professional Lighting at Savant Systems, Greg has held key leadership roles, including Director of Specifier Development and Product Category Director for Lighting and Shades. His tenure at Savant followed impactful roles at Ecosense and USAI Lighting, where he specialized in product management and marketing, driving innovation in both lighting and control technology.

Prior to Savant, Greg spent three years at USAI Lighting, managing and marketing lighting products while overseeing their market positioning. At Ketra, Greg honed his product management skills, leading product development and sales enablement for their lighting and control portfolio. His early career saw extensive experience as a freelance lighting designer and theatrical electrician, working with clients such as Disney, BET, and The Public Theatre. Through his various roles, Greg has developed a strong expertise in integrating design, technology, and market education, all while maintaining his passion for how lighting influences perception, emotions, and health.  

David Warfel is founding designer of Light Can Help You, author, and educator at the crossroads of architecture, light, and integration.  He is former head of the graduate lighting design program at the University of Illinois.

David’s company, online at lightcanhelpyou.com, built the revolutionary Signature Custom Lighting Design service to be an affordable, easy, and highly professional option for lighting design.  The LCHY team partners with custom integrators nationwide to help them grow in lighting fixture sales and navigate the complex and rapidly changing world of light. 

His design credits range from projects at Carnegie Hall and Las Vegas’ Luxor to Chicago’s Hyde Park Arts Center and multiple themed spaces for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.   His work and writing have been featured in Technology Design, Fine Homebuilding, Lighting Australia, and multiple times on Houzz.com.  David blogs at languageoflight.blog and lives in Madison, WI.