WHITE PLAINS, NY — The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (www.smpte.org) has elected new officers and governors for 2015-16. Robert Seidel, vice president of engineering and advanced technology at CBS, will take office as the Society's new president on January 1st, 2015. Seidel, who previously held SMPTE board roles including executive VP and finance VP, will serve a two-year term as SMPTE president. He succeeds outgoing president Wendy Aylsworth, senior VP of technology at Warner Bros. technical operations, who will now become the Society's past president.
Other incoming SMPTE officers elected for the two-year 2015-2016 term include Matthew S. Goldman, senior VP of TV compression technology at Ericsson, who will serve as executive VP; Patrick Griffis, executive director of the technology strategy in the office of the CTO at Dolby Laboratories, will continue his service as education VP; and Peter Wharton, VP of technology and business development at BroadStream Solutions Inc., who will continue to serve as secretary/treasurer. In January 2015, the board will elect an officer to fill the post vacated by Goldman.
Ten governors, eight of which are incumbents, were elected to serve in SMPTE posts around the world. The re-elected governors include Angelo D'Alessio, general manager at the Center for Accessible Media (CAM), who will again serve as governor for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America. William T. Hayes, director of engineering and technology at Iowa Public Television, will again serve as governor for the central region, and Sara J. Kudrle, product marketing manager of monitoring and control at Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, will serve again as governor for the western region. KL Lam, past vice president of broadcasting and engineering operations at Hong Kong Cable TV, will serve again as governor for the Asia-Australia region.
Pierre Marion, director of media engineering for French networks at CBC/Radio-Canada, will again serve as governor for the Canadian region. John McCoskey, executive vice president and chief technology officer at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), will serve again as governor for the Eastern U.S. region. William C. Miller, president at Miltag Media Technology LLC, will again serve as governor for the New York region. Clyde Smith, senior vice president of new technology at FOX Networks Engineering and Operations, will again serve as a governor for the Hollywood region.
Newly elected are Stephen M. Beres, VP of media and technology operations at Home Box Office Inc. (HBO), who will serve as a governor for the Hollywood region, and Merrick Ackermans, engineering director of global technology and operations for U.S. network operations at Turner, who will serve as a governor for the Southern U.S. region.
The Society's officers and governors elected for the 2015-2016 term will serve on the SMPTE Board of Governors along with other board officers, regional governors, and directors of specific areas, including standards, education, and membership. Newly-elected officers and governors will be further introduced to the SMPTE membership at the Society's Annual Membership Meeting, which takes place on Wednesday, October 22nd, in conjunction with the SMPTE 2014 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood.