Billy Hodges
Co-founder
American Association of Independent Lighting Agents
Billy has spent a career in lighting, holding many roles including design, engineering, sales, management, lighting education, and organizational leadership. He founded the AAILA in 2021, and the Philadelphia lighting agency Digital Filaments in 2012. He was previously VP of specification sales for Illuminations, Inc. and Lighting Designer for the Swarthmore Ballet Theater. Billy has a BSAE in Architectural Engineering-Illumination form Penn State University.

Abigael Hutchinson
West Coast Regional Sales Manager
KLIK USA
Career Paths in Lighting and Design

At KLIK USA, the North American distributor for KLIK Systems, Australia’s foremost manufacturer of bespoke architectural lighting systems, Abigael manages customer relationships and business opportunities. Before her current position at KLIK she was Marketing Manager. Before KLIK she was a freelance consultant. She holds a B.A. in Business/Corporate Communications and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Archit Jain
Principal
Oculus Light Studio
Inclusive Design as a Catalyst for Change

An architect by training, with a specialization in Building Sciences, Archit is a lighting designer with many award-winning projects to his credit. Born and brought up in New Delhi, India, Archit has lived and practiced in Los Angeles for over 20 years, and has worked on a wide range of projects in the U.S. and internationally. As founding principal and partner at Oculus Light Studio, Archit is responsible for maintaining client relationships, setting project design direction and overseeing resources to deliver successful, cost-effective and on-schedule projects.

Andrew Kim
COO and Head of Product
Glint Lighting
Lighting Product Design: A Modern Renaissance

With a strong materials background that underlies a proven track-record of invention and innovation in both R&D and production environments, Andrew leads an innovative lighting startup that has won many important design awards including Red Dot, California By Design, LightFair Innovation Awards, IES Progress Report, iF Design Award, International Design Excellence, LEDs Sapphire Award, IDA Design Award, and Light and Building Design Plus Award. He is a Member of Scientific Advisory Board Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology, Low Energy Electronic Systems IRG. Before Glint, he held several positions at Lumileds, including Director of Phosphor Engineering, Director of Vertical Integration, and Director of Epitaxy Development; he was also a Process Engineer for Applied Materials. Andrew has a Ph.D. in Electronic Materials and a S.B. in Materials Science from M.I.T.

Clifton Stanley Lemon
Program Director
LightSPEC Conferences
Permanent Chaos, Wishful Thinking and Real Opportunities: The Lighting Industry Today
Healthy Buildings and the Future of Work: An Illustrated Conversation

In addition to his role as Program Director, Clifton is CEO of Clifton Lemon Associates, a consultancy providing strategy, marketing, and education services to the lighting and energy industries. Previous positions he has held include: Business Development Director, California Energy Alliance; Marketing Communications Manager, Soraa; Director of Business Development, Integral Group; and founder and CEO of BrandSequence. Clifton is an active speaker and has extensive experience in curriculum development for professional training in lighting and energy efficiency. He is also the author of Beautiful Light; An Insider’s Guide to LED Lighting in Homes and Gardens (Routledge Taylor & Francis). He is a past President of the San Francisco Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society and is on the Advisory Board for LightFair International.

Erin McDannald
CEO and Co-Owner
Environments
Experience Design in the Metaverse
IEQ, Real Estate Asset Value, Health and Productivity

Erin has positioned herself as a leader and a trailblazer accelerating the growth and success of her firm. With nearly 20 years of experience in sales and guiding clients throughout the lighting design and construction process, Erin is now leading Environments, a full-service loT building integration company, to meet the rapidly changing connected device market head-on. Erin’s passion is creating a more inclusive world for those who are excluded from normal activities or spaces due to a chronic illness, disability, sick family, or other challenges. Her work with Environments uses technology to break down barriers and help connect people.

Zach Mix
Business Development Manager
Parspec
The Dynamic Evolution of The Lighting Agency Today

Zach has worked for a decade in the lighting and electrical industry with a passion for promoting sustainable building solutions. He excels at building and nurturing relationships, while managing sales goals and teams. Before Parspec, he was a Field Technical Sales Representative for ElectroRep; Regional Sales Director for Green Creative; and a Product Management Specialist at Wattstopper. He has a B.B.A. from Loyola Marymount University.

Mike Montgomery
Vice President, Applied IoT Solution Sales
Acuity Brands
Designing Systems for Operations & Maintenance

Mike has been working on environmentally sustainable solutions since 1995 when he was an Agricultural Specialist working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica and Panama. He then moved on to work at Acuity Brands in their lighting controls division and spent several years at Watt Stopper. After a 5-year stint at EcoSense Lighting, he moved back to Acuity and is currently VP of Sales, Applied Technology Solutions, where he has spent the last 3 years working on DC Power, Lighting and Control Solutions.

Colleen Peach
Senior Lighting Consultant
Arup
Career Paths in Lighting and Design

Coleen launched her career as a project Architect and transitioned into lighting in 2013. Her award-winning projects include retail, healthcare, hospitality, and entertainment. She was IES Los Angeles Section President for two years and currently is Past President. She served on the IES Nominating committee and is an active member on the IES technical committee for Lighting for Seniors and the Visually Impaired. She has been a guest lecturer at USC, Lightshow West, IES and LA CSI.