Jon DiGesu
Director of Brand Strategy
Osram Sylvania

Jon DiGesu is director of brand strategy, a position he was named to in September 2002. He is responsible for marketing research, brand-platform development and positioning, advertising, and sponsorships.

Prior to this, he was the director of marketing communications for the General Lighting division since 1993. DiGesu had been manager of marketing communications for OSRAM Corporation in Montgomery , N.Y. , since 1991. In 1987 he joined Siemens as a public relations supervisor. Previously, he held communications management positions with companies including Prudential, Chlorine Institute, and National Starch and Chemical, respectively.

Patricia Di Maggio is a Commercial Engineer for Osram Sylvania, in the New York Metropolitan area. She works with the architectural lighting design & engineering community to develop specifications and provides technical support on products and industry issues. She supports the fixture manufacturers in providing technical assistance for new product design.

Ms. Di Maggio has an architectural design and lighting design background and teaches lighting design at the New York School of Interior Design.

She is on the Executive Board of Managers as Immediate Past President for the New York Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society. She is presently chairing the IESNY Centennial Committee.

Leni Schwendinger creates illuminated sculptural environments for public spaces all over the world. These works energize architecture, landscape, transportation and transit infrastructure with the ultimate objective of connecting people to each other and to their surroundings. For more than a decade, her Light Projects studio has been a magnet for professional multi-disciplinary collaborations - with project-specific design teams staffed by architects, engineers, and graphic designers committed to her vision and perfectionist mandate.

Leni Schwendinger is a featured participant in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s National Design Triennial: Design Life Now 2007, an ongoing exhibition program presenting the most innovative American designs in a variety of fields, including product design, architecture, furniture, film, graphics, and new technologies. Schwendinger has received awards and is profiled in films and international publications. She has lectured throughout the North and South America, Europe and Japan. She is currently on the faculty of Parsons School of Design, Department of Architecture, Interior and Lighting Design.

Peter Jacobson since 1991 has been the Lighting Specialist for Con Edison and the liaison to the industry on all lighting-related issues supporting technical, research and facility-related lighting issues.

Jeff Johnston
Greystone Partners

In 2001 Jeff founded Greystone Partners, a leading New York-based public relations firm that built its successful practice around the lighting, building and tech sectors. Today, Greystone is still headquartered in New York but has expanded into Williamsburg, VA and Raleigh, NC. Greystone is the agency of record for the World Forum on Democracy, the signature event of the America's 400th Anniversary Celebration this year in Virginia. In 2003 he conceived and launched the first LightCongress, now one of the world's most important symposiums for the lighting industry. He is a former journalist and publisher and is a member of the National Press Club in Washington.

Dr. Narendran is the director of research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center. He is known throughout the lighting industry for his pioneering research, publications, and educational activities in the field of solid-state lighting. His leadership has helped to bridge the science of solid-state LED technology with mainstream lighting applications. His efforts led to the formation of the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST), an LED industry group designed to advance the effective use of energy-efficient solid-state lighting and speed its market acceptance. Dr. Narendran has authored or co-authored more than 50 articles in archival journals and proceedings. He is a Fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and a member of the International Society for Optical Engineering.

Wendy Reed, the Campaign Manager for the U.S. EPA, joined the ENERGY STAR® team to promote national awareness of the government's ENERGY STAR® mark for energy efficiency and climate protection. Reed works extensively with the ENERGY STAR® industry and non-profit partners to jointly promote the label and help create an energy conscience among America's consumers. Reed initiated the annual ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World campaign more than 6 years ago. She continues to manage this campaign designed to drive Americans to make small changes at home that can create enormous collective benefits for our world.

Steve Goldmacher
Director, Corporate Communications
Philips Lighting Company

A 26-year veteran of Philips Lighting Company, Steve Goldmacher is responsible for coordinating the internal and external communications functions for Philips’ U.S.-based lighting headquarters in Somerset, NJ.

Prior to joining Philips in his present role, Steve worked for RCA and Lobsenz-Stevens, and for Philips in various communications capacities since 1966.

Kathy Brannigan
Greystone Partners

Kathy has been a journalist and public relations professional for the last 15 years. She lived in Caracas, Venezuela from 1993-1996, where she was an international journalist reporting on the oil industry and the international business community. Kathy also co-authored a book while living there, The Face of the Avila, which is in its third printing. She is a world traveler and has been to every continent except Antarctica, which she plans on visiting once she gets the right clothes. Kathy lived in Manhattan for 10 years, working as a senior editor for Fairchild Publications, and then as public relations director for Cotton Incorporated ("Cotton, the fabric of our lives.") for seven years. Looking for (literally) greener pastures, she relocated to the Hudson Valley in 2005 and joined Greystone Partners where she is now the firm's Vice President of Public Relations. Kathy is also a member of the National Press Club.

Elizabeth Donoff
Architectural Lighting Magazine

Elizabeth Donoff is Editor of Architectural Lighting magazine. She joined the editorial staff in 2003. Prior to her entry into design journalism she worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at 3 Times Square and the new New York Times Headquarters. Donoff earned her Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.