DALLAS MARKET CENTER
DALLAS, TX
ARCHLIGHT SUMMIT ADVISORY BOARD
The ArchLIGHT Summit Advisory Board consists of distinguished industry leaders who provide valuable perspectives for shaping this groundbreaking event and its educational programming.
PETER AUGUSTA
GENERAL MANAGER, NORTH AMERICA, CASAMBI TECHNOLOGIES
With 20 years of experience in architectural lighting, Peter Augusta has a unique blended background in lighting, software and modern technologies with a passion for bringing these disciplines together. Casambi’s wireless lighting control system is a robust, cost-effective and simple solution that delivers versatility in design and control, ease of installation and use, and connectivity that’s reliable and effortless.
CRAIG A. BERNECKER, Ph.D., FIESNA, LC
FOUNDER, THE LIGHTING EDUCATION INSTITUTE
Dr. Bernecker has been a lighting educator for over 35 years. He is founder of The Lighting Education Institute 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. He previously directed the lighting education program within the Department of Architectural Engineering at Penn State University. He has published more than 50 articles on research and education in lighting design and illumination engineering and is known for his work on the psychological aspects of lighting. Dr. Bernecker also maintains an active consulting practice and regularly serves as a peer reviewer for lighting research proposals and projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. As a result of his contributions to lighting education, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) named him a Fellow in 1991, and for serving in several IES offices, he received the Distinguished Service Award in 2017.
MICHELLE CRUZ
LIGHTING SPECIFIER/SPEC SALES, PETERSON SCHARCK & ASSOCIATES
Michelle Cruz is a specification sales representative for Houston-based agency Peterson Scharck & Associates. She recently founded the Houston chapter of Women in Lighting + Design (WILD). Prior to joining Peterson Scharck, Cruz served as a lighting consultant for Lights Fantastic Pro and has been a showroom manager for Coventry Lighting Design Center and Wabash Lighting.
RACHEL FITZGERALD, CLD, LC, IALD, IES, LEED AP BD+C
PRINCIPAL, DISCIPLINE LEAD, LIGHTING, STANTEC
A graduate of the University of Colorado’s lighting program, Rachel Fitzgerald has nearly 20 years of experience in lighting design, providing significant expertise to Stantec’s buildings and master plans globally. Her talent and commitment to the design of highly sustainable and human-centric spaces has been recognized with more than three dozen design awards. Fitzgerald’s drive to create a world where lighting plays a more impactful role manifests itself through her industry involvement. She is the Membership Chair for the IALD, serves on the WELL light concept advisory, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
JESSICA KENNEDY, LC, WELL AP
SENIOR LIGHTING DESIGNER, STANTEC
Jessica Kennedy is a Penn State graduate in Architectural Engineering with a focus in architectural lighting and building electrical design. She has previous experience working in lighting consulting and electrical design build. Her background in engineering brings a technical, problem-solving approach to her designs, and encourages a drive for full discipline coordination early on projects. She enjoys the challenge of evaluating existing conditions and projects with complex design and energy efficiency requirements. 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.
JILL KLORES, CLD, IALD, LC, FIES
SENIOR LIGHTING DESIGNER AND FOUNDING PARTNER, ESSENTIAL LIGHT DESIGN STUDIO
Jill Klores brings 32 years of lighting industry experience and 24 years of lighting design in commercial, residential and institutional projects . Klores has completed award-winning lighting designs for an array of project types, including education, corporate projects, healthcare and senior living, museum and entertainment venues. She began her studies in the field of physics and optics, subsequently switching to photography to bring together the fields of optics/lensing and light. She “found” illuminating engineering alongside environmental design at the University of Colorado, and her passion for the technical and artistic aspects of light were formally blended. Under Klores’ guidance, Essential Light Design Studio has grown to eight employees in Texas, New York and Arkansas. She and her creative staff have won more than 40 awards for excellence in lighting design.
AARON LARMER
MANAGING PRINCIPAL, TEXAS LIGHTING SOLUTIONS
Aaron Larmer is one of the two managing principals at Texas Lighting Solutions. He graduated from Texas Tech University in 2003 and began his career at Texas Lighting, where he specialized in lighting controls for the west Texas market. After moving to the DFW office, he continued to focus on the controls aspect of the business, eventually taking on the role of Controls Team Manager for the north Texas market. In 2016, Larmer was named as a principal of the agency and now oversees the Specification and Controls efforts for Texas Lighting. He has been married to his loving wife, Jaime, for 21 years and together they have 2 boys, 18 and 14.
TOM LILLIE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WAC, MODERN FORMS, SCHONBEK
Tom Lillie has been in the lighting industry for more than 20 years, first as National Sales Manager for German manufacturer Holtkötter with a rapid rise to become the company’s President. Under his direction, the company prospered with a dedicated sales force and management team. In addition to several design awards, Holtkötter received national recognition with the coveted ARTS Award for Lighting Fixture Manufacturer in 2015.The following year, WAC recruited Lillie as Director of Business Development for Modern Forms, advancing to become Director of Sales for the specification channel for both WAC and Modern Forms. In early 2024, he was promoted to Executive Director of Business Development, now also overseeing international sales for Schonbek. Lillie’s vast experience in manufacturing, marketing and sales gives him a unique a thorough understanding of the specification process.
C. Webster Marsh
ArchLIGHT Summit, Director of Education and Programming
C. “Webster” Marsh is Lighting Controls Designer for Sladen Feinstein Integrated Lighting where he provides high-quality lighting controls designs and specifications. Webster is a Certified Lighting Controls Practitioner (CLCP), Education Manager for the Lighting Controls Academy, instructor for the Southern California Edison Energy Education Centers, member of the Lighting Agora, IESNA, and past speaker for ArchLight Summit, Lightovation, DALI Summit, Lightfair, IES Annual Conference, LEDucation, NYControlled, and Canada Light Expo. In his spare time, Webster is creator of Tonight in Controls and he co-hosts the Lighting Controls Podcast.
LAURA McDONALD STEWART, FASID, RID, LEED® AP, WELL AP
FOUNDER/OWNER, LAURA McDONALD ENTERPRISES and PLiNTH & CHiNTZ
Stewart received her BS in Civil Engineering from Southern Methodist University and her MFA in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. After several years in the commercial interior design field, she founded Laura McDonald Enterprises and PLiNTH & CHiNTZ, the online resource that prepares a new generation of designers to enter the workforce. For almost 10 years, Stewart also managed METROCON Expo & Conference, the annual two-day event in Dallas focusing on the built environment. She has served on the ASID National Board, currently sits on three interior design department advisory councils, and was the recipient of the 2009 NCIDQ National Louis S. Tregre Award.
Weston Wetzel
Senior Lighting Designer, IES/DLFNY
Weston Wetzel is a Senior Designer at Design One Lighting in New York City and is currently spearheading the launch of the fi rm’s Dallas–Fort Worth studio. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati, and brings more than 13 years of “architainment” lighting design experience to his practice. Weston’s portfolio spans architectural commercial work, retail, hospitality, and high-end residential projects, as well as corporate live events including fashion shows, expos, concerts, award shows, and large-scale immersive/interactive brand experiences. In addition to his design background, he is well-versed in advanced lighting control systems and has served as a system designer for projects requiring complex coordination and integration. His awards include a Best in Houzz Design Award and two-time winner of the LIT Lighting Design Awards. Weston is an active member of both the Illuminating Engineering Society and the Designers Lighting Forum of New York..
JERED E. WIDMER, IALD, MIES
PRINCIPAL, DALLAS OFFICE, THE LIGHTING PRACTICE
Widmer joined The Lighting Practice in 2001 upon graduation from The Pennsylvania State University. Leading TLP’s Dallas office, he has designed architectural lighting for corporate, retail, historic, hospitality, education, healthcare and places of worship. Diverse work allows him to merge creative principles and techniques to enhance the user environment. He educates clients and team members through a collaborative design process, facilitating a better understanding of the impact of lighting. His passion for digital technology and smart home integration has fueled his IoT and smart lighting knowledge and its benefits for clients and project sectors. He has collaborated with both retail and corporate clients to deliver smart lighting solutions that enhance the user experience and deliver detailed data for improved operational efficiencies.