2025 Conference Speakers
Jon Accarrino
Founder of Ordo Digital
Jon Accarrino is an award-winning media executive and AI innovator driving digital transformation in the media industry. As founder of Ordo Digital, he provides AI strategy services to media companies around the world.
A featured writer for TV NewsCheck, Jon shares insights on the convergence of artificial intelligence and television in his "AI & TV" column. His writing and expertise is bolstered by MIT's AI business strategy program and a Six Sigma Green Belt from GE.
Named "Digital Innovator of the Year" by the Local Media Association, Jon's accomplishments range from co-executive producing a Lionsgate horror film with Spike Lee to winning a Shorty Award for HBO's True Blood. And his strategic vision has boosted revenue and innovation for media leaders including NBC Universal, Gray Media, Hubbard Broadcasting, Graham Media, and Bonneville International among others.
Jon specializes in leveraging AI for new revenue opportunities, optimizing content production, and enhancing monetization strategies. Through Ordo Digital, he continues to push the boundaries of media innovation, helping organizations thrive in the AI-driven future.
Ashish Agrawal
Ashish Agrawal, founder and CEO of Eon Media Corp, brings over 19 years of distinguished experience in the B2B, media, and video streaming industries, including pivotal roles in launching OTT services for industry giants such as AT&T, Fox, and Rogers, among others within the telecommunications and entertainment sectors. His expertise lies in merging technical insights with strategic business perspectives, a skill honed by engaging with top-tier industry leaders.
Ashish excels in devising simple solutions for complex issues and under his leadership, Eon Media Corp is redefining B2B AI-product development by challenging traditional models and leveraging AI technology to introduce innovative methods and elevate industry standards.
Mark Aitken
Vice President of Advanced Technology at Sinclair
Mark Aitken is the Vice President of Advanced Technology at Sinclair. He has been involved in the broadcast industry’s migration to advanced services since 1987 from his participation in the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Services to his current involvement with the ATSC. He was the primary architect in the formation of ONE Media and a driver of key ATSC 3.0 breakthrough technologies.
Prior to his involvement with Sinclair, Aitken worked with COMARK Communications where he held several positions including Manager of the Systems Engineering, RF Engineering and Sales Engineering groups, as well as Director of Marketing and Sales Support which included digital television strategic planning.
Aitken is a member of the NAB TV Technology Committee, as well as AFCCE, IEEE and SMPTE. He is the author of many papers dealing with innovative RF product development and advanced digital broadcast systems design-implementation strategies and holds patents for various RF devices and NextGen systems. He is a recipient of the 2008 Broadcasting and Cable Technology Leadership Award, the 2013 recipient of the ATSC “Bernard Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award,” the 2018 NAB Engineering Achievement Award for his leadership in advancing the adoption of the NextGen standard and the 2018 TV Technology Innovator Award.
Dave Arland
President - Arland Communications
Dave Arland is a lifelong Hoosier (from Indiana), graduating from Greenfield-Central HS and from Butler University with a degree in Radio/Television. Dave worked as a radio journalist for two Indianapolis stations before being tapped as Press Secretary to four-term Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut. Representing municipal interests in his work with the National League of Cities and U.S. Conference of Mayors, he honed his skills at influencing policymakers. At Thomson/RCA, he testified twice before the House Energy & Commerce Committee regarding the digital television transition, in his role managing Congressional and FCC relationships. In 2007, he started Arland Communications to serve clients interested in reaching audiences and influencing public opinion. Today, he serves as Executive Director of the Indiana Broadcasters Association. Dave is a pianist and church organist, an original series “Star Trek” fan, and owns two vintage Studebakers – which, like Dave, were also made in Indiana!
Mark Barrington
Founder of Barrington Technology
Mark Barrington is a technology consultant and founder of Barrington Technology, where he advises clients on system architecture, strategy, and the deployment of next-generation broadcast services. He has held technology leadership roles at major media and technology companies, including Disney and Sony. With a background in embedded software and executive engineering management, Mark has deep experience delivering complex, consumer-facing products. His recent work centers on ATSC 3.0, with a focus on automotive and mobile device applications.
Raymundo Barros
CTO at Globo
As CTO at Globo, Raymundo Barros oversees Media Supply Chain, Broadcast Engineering, Corporate IT, and Digital Products and Platforms. He led initiatives like the switch to digital TV, creation of UHD content, and the launch of Globoplay, Globo's OTT product. Raymundo drives Globo's digital transformation, helping it become a Mediatech company with various D2C digital products and data monetization efforts.
He chairs the Brazilian Digital TV Forum (FSBTVD), a group developing advanced broadcast TV standards under the Brazilian Ministry of Communications.
Previously, Raymundo held roles like Engineering Manager at a regional station and Director of Engineering for various departments at Globo. He has worked at Globo for 44 years.
Dr. Bob Campbell
Head of Technology, Strategy and Partnerships, Global Conformance and Interoperability at Resillion
Dr Bob Campbell is Global Head of Conformance and Interoperability at Resillion, the specialist provider of Total Quality across the entire digital lifecycle, and chair of ATSC’s Implementation Team 3 for ATSC 3.0 Conformance. Resillion provide operational support to CTA’s NEXTGEN TV logo program, and A3SA, for receivers tested to be compliant with ATSC 3.0 requirements.
Tim Carroll
Senior Director AV Ecosystems at Dolby Laboratories
A broadcast systems veteran with more than three decades of experience, Tim Carroll is Senior Director AV Ecosystems at Dolby Laboratories, focusing on enabling exceptional audio and video experiences for all consumers. Prior to Dolby, he was CTO of the Telos Alliance, comprising Telos, Omnia, 25-Seven Systems, Axia, Minnetonka Audio, and Linear Acoustic, a company he founded. He has been honored with individual and group Emmy Awards for work with Dolby E, television audio processing, and the Beijing, Vancouver, and London Olympic games. He is a SMPTE Fellow, a member of AES, the IEEE, and is an active participant in the work of the ATSC and SCTE. He holds several patents in the fields of audio and data systems.
Paulo Henrique Castro
President of SET and CEO & Founder of Mediatech Lab
Paulo Henrique Castro is the current President of SET, a non-profit technical association that serves as a hub for technology, business, and innovation in the media and entertainment marketin Brazil. SET promotes the advancement of audiovisual technology through industry collaboration, technical groups, international cooperation, and by organizing Brazil’s leading broadcast and media technology event, SET Expo. With more than 30 years of history, SET plays a strategic role in the development and implementation of new technologies, standards, and public policies in the sector.
He is also the CEO and Founder of Mediatech Lab, a two-year-old startup focused on emerging technologies, innovationconsulting, and strategic planning. Mediatech Lab has the mission to push the boundaries of a Mediatech company through the application of cutting-edge technologies and forward-looking vision, enabling the execution of disruptive projects with seasoned professionals in business-driven technological domains —without the need for an in-house R&D lab.
Currently, Mediatech Lab is working as a consultant for the official Brazilian Government initiative that pilots the Next Generation TV Standard (TV 3.0), withtwo SFN channels planning to operate in São Paulo and one station in Brasília.
Before these roles, Paulo served as Director of Technology and R&D at Globo, the largest media company in Latin America, where he built a 27-year career —more than 20 of themin executive positions —leading projects across several technological domains. He played a fundamental role in implementing Digital TV in Brazil, as well as in driving automation, artificial intelligence, graphic and visual computing, agile development, digital transformation, and TV 3.0 strategies within the company.
Paulo holds a double degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from PUC-Rio. He has been a member of SET since 1997, where he also served as a board advisor for several years. He is the former Coordinator of the Technical Module of the Brazilian Digital Terrestrial Television System Forum and is currently a member of several international organizations, including IEEE, SMPTE, and is also a Board Member of IBC (International Broadcasting Convention), representing SET.
Mary Crebassa
Vice President of Major Accounts at LTN
Mary Crebassa has more than 20 years of experience in business development and strategic planning for the media and entertainment, broadcast, and telecommunications industries. Mary earned a BS from California Polytechnic State University and was recognized as the university’s Honored Alumna in 2003 and 2021 for outstanding accomplishments, leadership, and meritorious service.
Vinnie Curren
Principal at Breakthrough Public Media Consulting, Inc., and senior consultant to Public Media Venture Group
Vincent Curren is the principal of Breakthrough Public Media Consulting. Breakthrough helps public media companies navigate today’s converging and competitive media world. As a senior consultant to the Public Media Venture Group, Curren is particularly focused on helping public television stations leverage the power of Next Generation TV to bring new levels of service to local communities across the country. Curren also advises stations on overall strategy, organizational development, and technology.
Prior to forming Breakthrough Public Media Consulting, Curren served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He served in that role from 2006 until 2015. Before being named COO, Curren was senior vice president for radio at CPB.
Curren has held positions of general manager, development director, chief engineer, and business manager in public radio. He has served on the boards of the Development Exchange (now Greater Public) and the Station Resource Group, where he was elected board chair for several terms. Since 2017 Curren has served on the advisory board of the James and Mary Quello Center at Michigan State University.
Ed Czarnecki
Vice President for Global and Government Affairs at Digital Alert Systems
Edward Czarnecki serves as the Vice President for Global and Government Affairs at Digital Alert Systems, a leading provider of emergency information solutions for broadcast and cable media. In this role, Ed drives the development and adoption of advanced emergency alerting technologies and standards, forging strategic partnerships with industry leaders, government agencies, and other stakeholders to enhance public warning and emergency communications. He currently serves as vice-chair of the ATSC Advanced Emergency Information Implementation Team (IT-1) and is chair of ATSC’s AHG 3-10 (Emergency Alerts). Additionally, Ed is the chairman and executive director of the NextGen Video Information Systems Alliance (NVISA), an international coalition of manufacturers and broadcasters dedicated to advancing ATSC 3.0. Beyond his responsibilities as the company's liaison to standards bodies, Ed has played a pivotal role in key FCC and FEMA emergency alerting committees, serves on Canada’s Alert Technical Working Group, and has provided advisory support to several nations on the deployment of emergency information and public warning systems. His extensive experience and leadership in the field have made significant contributions to the innovation and reliability of emergency alert systems worldwide.
Joe Fabiano
The current chair of the ATSC TG3-13 Ad Hoc Group, Joe brings a wealth of skill from many roles including: Founder & CEO of AdCore Local, CMO at Coherent Logix, CTO & COO at Pathfire, and Director of Engineering at Cox Communications.
Skip Flenniken
VP & GM, Technology Business Development at Sinclair Broadcast Group
Skip Flenniken is managing Sinclair’s ATSC 3.0 commercialization efforts. He has worked extensively on the development of a wide variety of ATSC 3.0-enabled business models, spectrum issues, technology solutions, and content opportunities.In a previous role as Sinclair’s AVP Business Development, Skip served as a finance executive overseeing the creation, development and launch of a wide variety of business models. Prior to joining Sinclair in 2014, Skip worked as a management consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Economics and Communications from Vanderbilt University.
Rob Folliard
Senior Vice President, Government Relations & Distribution, for Gray Television
Robert Folliard is Senior Vice President, Government Relations & Distribution, for Gray Television, which is the second largest local broadcast group by revenue in the United States. At Gray, Rob oversees Gray’s activities on Capitol Hill and at the FCC. Rob also is responsible for Gray’s relationships with cable and satellite operators and negotiates Gray’s retransmission consent agreements. Rob is the Chairman of Pearl TV, which is a venture of local broadcasters spearheading the NextGen TV transition. Prior to joining Gray, Rob was an associate in the Communications practice group at Cooley, LLP and Dow Lohnes, PLLC.
Richard Friedel
Board Chair Emeritus, ATSC: Broadcast.Advocate
Recently retired from Fox Corporation, Richard Friedel has started a consultancy named Broadcast.Advocate.
During his 26-year career at Fox, Richard held positions as EVP of Engineering at Fox Television Stations and EVP Technology & Broadcast Strategy for 21st Century Fox where he drove the company’s ATSC 3.0 efforts.
As EVP & General Manager of Fox’s Network Engineering & Operations group, Richard led technology strategy and was responsible for day-to-day television operations. That included the Fox Network Center in Los Angeles, as well as the Houston Technical Operations Center, home of Fox Sports’ regional networks. Before joining Fox, Richard held various leadership and engineering positions at Capital Cities/ABC, NBC News and local television and radio stations.
In addition to being former chairman of ATSC, Richard remains an ATSC Board member and serves as President of the Video Services Forum. He is also a fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, a life member of the Audio Engineering Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers.
Richard was honored by the National Association of Broadcasters with the 2015 NAB Engineering Achievement Award, bestowed to individuals nominated by their peers for significant contributions to advancing the state of the art in broadcast engineering. In 2018, he received an Emmy for lifetime achievement from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. In 2022, Friedel was recognized with the International Achievement Award from the North American Broadcasters Association.
Dr. Claire Grant
With a career span of more than 30 years, Dr. Grant has left an indelible mark on journalism, digital broadcasting, television, and radio operations across the region. Sheis currently the Managing Director of PHARE Media Consultancy Limited, whereshe advises governments, corporate boards, and international stakeholders on media transformation, regulatory strategy, and sustainable development. She previously served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group, Jamaica’s largest broadcast network, where she led the nation’s historic transition to the ATSC 3.0 digital standard during the COVID pandemic — making Jamaica the third country in the world to adopt this groundbreaking technology and the first to move from analog to this new broadcast standard.
Dr. Grant holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, an MBA in Marketing, and an MA in International Journalism. She is a recipient of Jamaica’s Order of Distinction for her three decades of service to journalism, communications, and media management in her country. She has held prestigious leadership roles including President of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Vice Chair and Chair of the Media Association of Jamaica and is currently a Commissioner on the Jamaica Debates Commission.
In addition to her executive achievements, Dr. Grant is an Adjunct Lecturer at CARIMAC – the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication, a publishedresearcher, and an enthusiastic mentor. Her voice continues to shape media discourse, both regionally and internationally.
Dr. Claire Cordelia Grant, OD is a bold leader, an analytical thinker, and anadvocate for harnessing exponential development for developing countries by unlocking the power of informed societies, which operate with the efficiency possible from technologically integrated digitally enhanced media industries.
John Hane
President at BitPath
John is President of BitPath, a broadcast data distribution network. He has previously been a communications law partner at Pillsbury law and served in executive positions in broadcast, wireless, and satellite companies. He has five patents related to wireless and satellite spectrum, secure wireless transmission, and precision navigation for the mass market.
Clarence Hau
SVP, Standards, Policy & Advanced Engineering at NBCUniversal
Clarence Hau is SVP, Standards, Policy & Advanced Engineering at NBCUniversal, where he oversees technology policy, industry standards activities and the advanced engineering labs.
While at NBCU, he has held various technology leadership positions in support of News, Sports, Entertainment productions and linear distribution, media fulfillment, advertising and OTT streaming. Hau has also led major initiatives for NBCU including the 2009 DTV Transition and its TV Everywhere/OTT buildout. His recent efforts have been focused on establishing the highest visual quality of NBCU content across its platforms and the enablement of 4K-HDR and Next Gen TV technologies.
Prior to joining NBCU, he held hardware engineering and product management positions for Panasonic and Pinnacle Systems.
Dr. Paul Hearty
Samsung
Paul Hearty has been involved in the development and standardization of advanced television systems since the early 1980s. He has worked with the International Telecommunications Union, in the FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS), and in standards development organizations, such as ATSC, CTA, SCTE, and SMPTE. Paul currently is Chief Standards Strategist in Samsung Research America’s Video Solutions, where he leads standardization activities in ATSC and in other standards development organizations; his activities comprise ATSC 3.0 and other technologies. Previously, he was Vice President Technical Standards at Sony, where he spearheaded Sony and partner efforts in ATSC 3.0. He began his professional career at the Communications Research Centre, Government of Canada. He founded the Advanced Television Evaluation Laboratory, which carried out tests on behalf of ACATS, leading to ATSC 1.0. Later, as a Vice President at General Instrument/Motorola, he led in the deployment of commercial and direct-to-home satellite broadcast technologies, as well as digital compression technology for satellite and cable. Paul served previously on the ATSC Board and on its predecessor, the ATSC Executive Committee. He has served on the Board and Executive Committee of SMPTE. He holds a PhD from Queen’s University Canada. Paul has received one Technical Emmy and has been recognized for his contributions to four others. He is an Inaugural Inductee to the Consumer Electronics Association’s Academy of DTV Pioneers, and he is a Fellow of SMPTE.
Rick Kowalski
Senior Director of Business Intelligence at the Consumer Technology Association
Rick Kowalski is the Senior Director of Business Intelligence at the Consumer Technology Association. Overseeing CTA's forecasting efforts, Rick assesses the trajectory of emerging technologies and quantifies growth opportunities on the horizon. In his 19 years with CTA, Rick has reported on the evolution of technologies such as 5G, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, streaming services, smart home and digital health. He has analyzed the industry-wide impacts of the U.S.-China trade war, the worldwide semiconductor shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic. Rick has been quoted in USA Today, CNBC, The Verge, VentureBeat and Fast Company. He holds bachelor's degrees in cognitive science and psychology and a Master of Library Science from University at Buffalo.
Robert Maas
Systems Engineer at Heartland Video Systems
Robert has worked at Heartland Video Systems (HVS) for just over 4 years, focusing mainly on Call Letter TV systems. HVS is a Systems integrator and has been involved in over 90 ATSC 3.0 market launches with BitPath, Pearl, and self-launched with our help. Robert’s initial primary focus was on ATSC 1.0 Encoding, PSIP and Tech support to go along with it. A little over 2 years ago the decision was made to Pull Robert into the ATSC 3.0 team to focus his efforts there. HVS has built an ATSC 3 .0 lab where they have all the major equipment available, allowing them to quickly mockup any system along with being able to test changes or new ideas offline. This lab also includes a variety of TV’s and Set Top boxes to ensure and verify across the board compatibility. Robert works with Pearl, A3SA, EIDR, BitPath, and the consumer electronics companies to help solve current issues along with helping test new next gen features like Stat Mux, HDR, Atmos, Signal signing, DRM, and Virtual Channels.
Allison Martin
VP, Innovation & Strategy at National Association of Broadcasters
Alison Martin bridges technology, policy, and law at the National Association of Broadcasters. She fosters partnerships through the PILOT initiative to drive innovation in the broadcast industry, focusing on Next Gen Television and Artificial Intelligence.Previously, she tackled global video policy at Meta (Facebook) and served as Deputy Chief Technologist at the Federal Communications Commission. She holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a J.D. from Georgetown University.
Sam Matheny
CTO and Executive Vice President at NAB
Sam Matheny is Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President at the National Association of Broadcasters. With over 30 years of experience in the broadcast and data networking industries, including earning multiple patents for DTV technologies, Sam leads NAB’s technology team in its efforts to promote innovation and propel broadcast technology into the future. He also provides overall leadership for PILOT as well as NAB’s TV, Radio, and Digital Technology Committees.
Matheny is a member of the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers. He serves on the board of the Ultra HD Forum, the board of governors for the National Wireless Safety Alliance, the board of visitors for East Carolina University, and the board of advisors for Telecommunications Against Trafficking and Exploitation. He has served as an advisor to numerous startup and technology companies including Reveal Mobile, a location-based advertising technology company, and Haystack TV, a personalized streaming news channel. He has previously served on the FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert Warning System Network Advisory Council (IPAWS NAC), and on the board of directors for the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), where he was Chairman of the specialist group on the next generation of digital television.
Before joining NAB, Sam served as Vice President of Policy and Innovation for Capitol Broadcasting Company where he focused on strategic media applications, mobile wireless content delivery, smart TV, and helped secure multiple patents for broadcast Internet distribution. He has also held management positions with mobile development, satellite, digital television, web development, and interactive video companies.
Sam holds a B.S. in Communications from East Carolina University, a M.S. in Technology Management from North Carolina State University, and a certificate for artificial intelligence and business strategy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2007, he was named an American Marshall Memorial Fellow and in 2021-2023 served as a non-resident fellow of the German Marshall Fund.
Michael McEwen
Michael McEwen is a consultant to Media organizations and is a recently a retired Director-General of the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) 2012-2023 and Head of Secretariat for the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU). He represented the interests of North American Broadcasters to international forums and institutions on a broad range of issues including technology, intellectual property, broadcast policy, risk assessment, and regulations.
From 2006 to 2012 Mr. McEwen was a consultant advising on Media; Strategy, Policy and Broadcast Digital Technologies. He is also a former Chairman and Director of the UK based Media Asset Capital Ltd.
Mr. McEwen is past President of Canadian Digital Television (CDTV) from 1998 to 2006, an industry group who managed the transition from analogue to digital High Definition Television in Canada. He was also President of the World Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) Forum from 1998 to 2002. In addition, McEwen spent over 27 years with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada) including production and executive management roles; ending his CBC/Radio-Canada career as Executive Vice President in charge of all media; French and English during the nineteen nineties.
Parag Naik
Parag is a technology serial entrepreneur with over 32 years of industry experience, out of which 25 years have been in indigenous high technology startups. He co-founded Saankhya Labs and has been the CEO since April 2014. Saankhya is India’s first private fabless semiconductor company building silicon architectures for wireless telecom markets. Prior to Saankhya he co-founded Smart Yantra technologies in 2000 and Vayavya Labs India’s first Electronic Design Automation Company in 2006. Smart Yantra was acquired by Genesis Microchip in 2004. Saankhya was acquired by the Tata group in March 2022.
Parag is considered one of the foremost experts in the world on Software Defined Radios (SDR) and Cognitive Radios as a technology for 5g telecom infrastructure, broadcasting, and is one of the inventors of the 5g broadcast technology “D2M” and the RANWiser a unique Cloud custom silicon platform. He has designed and invented multiple Computer languages and Instruction Set Architectures and is driving the industry adoption of the RAN hypervisor a unique disruptive 5g RAN cloud platform. He is a named inventor on 50+ international patents. Most recently he was chosen in the list of “50 promising entrepreneurs in India “for the year 2020 and was awarded the “Techno visionary – Industry” by the India Semiconductor Association
Rachel Nemeth
Rachel Nemeth is Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), representing the technology industry on policy issues in the telecommunications and consumer protection space – including accessibility, broadband, competition, and privacy.
Madeleine Noland
President, ATSC
Madeleine Noland is the President of the Advanced Television Systems Committee Inc. A 20-year industry veteran who is widely respected for her consensus-building leadership style, she chaired the technology group that oversees the ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast standard before being named ATSC President in May 2019. Previously, she chaired various ATSC 3.0-related specialist groups, ad hoc groups and implementation teams since 2012.
Noland began her career in the television industry in 2004 with Backchannelmedia Inc., an interactive television technology developer. It was during her work there that she first became involved in ATSC projects. In 2012, she moved on to product and project management roles at Telvue Corp. before joining LG Electronics CTO’s office in 2013. Noland represented LG in a variety of industry organizations for over six years.
Most recently, Madeleine was awarded the prestigious 2022 David Sarnoff Medal by the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) in a ceremony held in Hollywood, California. She has also received TV NewsCheck’s “2019 Futurist” Women in Technology Award and was named one of 2018’s “Powerful Women in Consumer Technology” by Dealerscope magazine. In 2016, while the Chair of TG-3, she received the ATSC’s highest technical honor, the Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award recognizing her leadership related to the development of ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV.
Credited on three U.S. patents for television technology, Noland is a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – Broadcast Technology Society. Noland graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts. She enjoys travel, and she plays keyboards in a band called “Brave Pursuit.”
Skip Pizzi
Owner and Principal at Skip Pizzi Media Consultant LLC
Skip Pizzi is Owner and Principal at Skip Pizzi Media Consultant LLC, a media technology consulting firm based in the Philadelphia area. Previously he has held technology staff positions at NPR, Microsoft, and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), with over a decade of service at each organization. He has authored, co-authored, or edited several books—most recently, A Broadcast Engineering Tutorial for Non-Engineers (published by Focal Press)—and has been an editor and featured columnist for numerous broadcast, audio and digital media industry trade publications.
Skip has served as Vice Chair of the Advanced Television Systems Committee’s Technology Group 3 (TG3, which developed the ATSC 3.0 standard) since its inception, and chairs the ATSC Brazil Implementation Team (IT-4), which is working with Brazilian broadcasters and technologists to design that country’s next-generation television standard. He is also Vice Chair of ATSC’s Automotive Implementation Team (IT-8), and document editor for the core ATSC 3.0 standard, A/300, ATSC 3.0 System.
Skip currently represents both Zenith/LG Electronics and Fraunhofer USA at ATSC, and served as Project Manager for the NextGen TV transition in New York City. He is also Senior Advisor to the Public Media Venture Group (PMVG). Skip was the 2017 recipient of ATSC’s Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award, the organization’s highest technical honor. He has also received the Audio Engineering Society’s Board of Governors Award, and the Public Radio Regional Organizations’ PRRO Award.
He is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he studied International Economics, Electrical Engineering and Fine Arts.
Derek Powell
Chief Growth Officer, Edisen
Derek is a Director at Altman Solon, a strategy consulting firm focused exclusively on the Technology, Media, Telecom (TMT) sectors working directly with private equity and corporate development offices. Derek helps media clients develop strategic cost programs and integrate new and emerging technologies to evolve and manage their business operations across the digital landscape. Derek is also a certified supply chain professional (CSCP) and frequently gives presentations and sits on industry panels to discuss the implications of new technology for media content supply chains.
Jason Quinn
Jason Quinn is director of engineering at New Mexico PBS and is responsible for maintaining and developing 35 mountaintop translator sites and NMPBS facilities on Sandia Crest and in Albuquerque.
Lucy Rutishauser
Executive Vice President and CFO for Sinclair Inc.
Lucy Rutishauser is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Sinclair Inc. Lucy is a member of ATSC’s Business Advisory Council. Sinclair and its subsidiary ONE Media developed major components of ATSC’s physical layer, were the first adopter, and are global advocates for ATSC’s broadcast and multicast technologies. Lucy has over 35 years of experience with companies at differing stages in their life cycle, including growth through mergers & acquisitions, rightsizing, and diversification. She is involved in transformation across multiple disciplines and sits on various steering committees, including technology. Lucy has helped lead companies through complex financial and capital markets transactions, and various economic cycles. Lucy has been recognized for her leadership and industry contributions including, ‘Women to Watch for Boards’; the Daily Record’s ‘Power 30,’ and ‘Maryland’s Top 100 Women’; Cynopsis’ ‘Top Women in Media’; and Radio & TV Business Report’s ‘Best Finance Leaders.’ Ms. Rutishauser has an MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Finance.
Anne Schelle
Managing Director of Pearl TV
Anne Schelle is Managing Director of Pearl TV, a business alliance of 8 of the larger broadcast TV companies with a shared interest in exploring forward-looking opportunities, including innovative ways of promoting local TV content and developing digital media and wireless platforms for the broadcast industry. Pearl TV companies reach 99% of the U.S. population with more than 820 local TV stations.
Anne has more than two decades of wireless and media industry experience. Schelle was founder and President of APS Connext LLC, providing senior-level advisory services to some of the nation’s largest public media companies focused on the future of digital media.
An innovator who is experienced in advising established companies and startups, Schelle served previously as senior advisor to the NAB and as Executive Director of the Open Mobile Video Coalition, where she led outreach efforts by broadcasters to introduce Mobile TV services.
Anne was a founding management team member for several companies, including the nation’s first commercial digital cellular network American Personal Communications, dba Sprint Spectrum and also xDSL Networks, a competitive local exchange carrier.
She also served as manager of business development at LCC Inc., a cellular engineering consulting firm, and was a financial analyst for McCaw Cellular Communications, MCI/Airsignal. She is also a past venture partner and CEO of Acta Wireless. Anne currently serves as board chair of the ATSC 3.0 Security Alliance (A3SA), as well as a board member of WYPR, Maryland’s Public Radio Station, and the Wise Giving Alliance, Give.org. She formerly served on the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Board, as Vice Chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association’s North American Board and founding chair of its video committee and as a founding member of the advisory board of the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering for Professionals
Nathan Simington
FCC Commissioner
Nathan Simington was nominated to serve as a Commissioner of the FCC by President Donald J. Trump. He was confirmed by the United States Senate in 2020.
Commissioner Simington brings both private and public-sector experience to the Commission. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA.) In this role, he worked on many aspects of telecommunications policy, including spectrum allocation and planning, broadband access, and the US Government’s role in the Internet. Prior to joining the Commission, he was senior counsel to Brightstar Corp., an international mobile device services company. In this capacity, he led and negotiated telecommunications equipment and services transactions with leading providers in over twenty countries. Prior to joining Brightstar, he worked as an attorney in private practice.
Commissioner Simington is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. He also holds degrees from the University of Rochester and Lawrence University.
Commissioner Simington grew up in Saskatchewan, Canada. He became a United States citizen and now lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife and three children.
Stephan Sloan
As Founder and Business Development Officer of Jericho Receivers, LLC, Stephan C. Sloan drives innovation in mobile ATSC 3.0 receivers, delivering unparalleled reception quality. Jericho’s technology includes; advanced internal antenna system optimized for mobile use, lossless front-end filters for enhanced signal reception, ATSC 3.0 data flow control for efficient processing, and ATSC 3.0 data discrimination for local distribution. These innovations further enhance Jericho’s development of BPS receivers.
Communicating the value of UHF spectrum is at the heart of Stephan’s efforts. Internationally recognized as an expert in spectrum valuation. Stephan brings decades of experience in acquisitions, valuations, and financing to the communications industry. A trusted advisor, he has guided over $1 billion in spectrum transactions and provided valuations of spectrum assets exceeding $3 billion. Stephan developed predictive modeling and data processing in preparation for UHF spectrum auctions and has secured over $500 million in auction proceeds for clients and an additional $10 million in option revenues.
Alan Stein
Vice President, Technology and Standards at V-Nova
Alan Stein is Vice President, Technology and Standards at V-Nova. Alan is a long-time leader in many important media and entertainment standards organizations, including MPEG, DVB, SCTE, CTA and ATSC. Alan has chaired the ATSC 3.0 Video Specialist Group S41 since 2013, and has also chaired the ATSC International Planning Team PT-6 since its inception in 2019. He received ATSC’s prestigious Bernard J. Lechner Award in 2021.
Alan’s career prior to V-Nova includes years as a research staff member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, DSP architect at Ariel Corporation, multimedia software consultant at Sarnoff and Bell Labs, and more than 20 years at Thomson/Technicolor/InterDigital, working on video codec development, IPTV and streaming, R&D management, and technology and standards strategy. He holds 17 granted patents in the realm of digital video. Alan was appointed as a Technicolor Fellow in 2015.
Ling Ling Sun
Maryland Public Television
Ling Ling Sun is the Vice President of technoology at Maryland Public Television. She was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Nebraska Public Media, a state network of TV, radio, and digital platforms. She oversaw technology services operations and the organization’s technology transformation. Her leadership has resulted in a 20% increase in the network’s channel capacity, an improvement of over 20% in energy efficiency, and the implementation of a converged statewide media network management and control system. Her recent accomplishments include the deployment of an AI-powered English and Spanish closed captioning system for state legislative proceedings and launching the first free Broadcast-Enabled Streaming TV (BEST) channel in Omaha, Nebraska, through a partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group and America’s Public Television Stations (APTS).
Before joining Nebraska Public Media, Sun served as TV Chief Engineer for WOSU Public Media. There she played a pivotal role in the analog-to-digital TV transition and the implementation of WOSU@COSI – a state-of-the-art production facility featuring an interactive public interface.
Sun chaired PBS’ Engineering Technology Advisory Committee (ETAC) from 2013 to 2018 and the NAB BEIT Conference Program Committee in 2023 and 2024. She is a member of the NAB TV Technology Committee and also serves on the Nebraska Information Technology Commission Technical Panel.
Sun holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Communication University of China. Her accolades include the 2019 National Technology Leadership Award by Broadcasting & Cable. She has been recognized among the “Top 50 Women Leaders in Technology” (2022), “Top 50 Women Leaders in Media” (2023), and “Top 50 Chief Technology Officers” (2024) by Women We Admire. Additionally, she is listed in Marquis Who’s Who for 2023.
John Taylor
LG Electronics
John Taylor is the long-time ATSC Communications Chairman, returning to the ATSC Board of Directors for 2023-24 after previously serving two board terms in the 2010s. As Senior Vice President for LG Electronics USA, he is most senior U.S. government affairs, public relations, industry relations executive for LG and its U.S. & subsidiary Zenith. Among various digital television activities, Taylor co-founded and was a driving force behind the Digital TV Transition Coalition in the 2000s and was Public Affairs Chairman of the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance in the 1990s. He is a founding member of the Steering Committee and current Chairman of the AWARN Alliance, and he serves on boards of trustees of The Media Institute and the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation. Taylor is the longest-serving member and past two-time chairman of the Video Division of the Consumer Technology Association, where he also previously chaired the CTA Communications Committee, Video Promotion committee, 4K UHD Working Group and HDTV Promotion committee.
Zane Vella
Co-Founder and Chairman of GameLoop
Zane Vellais the Co-Founder and Chairman of GameLoop, a pioneering platform transforming how games are discovered and played on Connected TV. With over 30 years of experience in streaming media, Zane has played a key role in developing breakthrough products for Amazon, Comcast, Netflix, and other leading media and technology companies. GameLoop’s“Watch and Play”experience—designed for NEXTGEN TV and major Smart TV platforms—turns traditional viewing into interactive entertainment, enabling audiences to instantly play featured games using only their remote or mobile device. Under Zane’s leadership, GameLoop launched as a 24/7 free gaming channel on NEXTGEN TV, partnering with Gray Media and Sinclair Broadcasting to scale nationwide. GameLoop blends the broad reach of broadcast television with the engagement of gaming, ushering in a new era of TV-based entertainment. Prior to GameLoop, Zane was the founder and CEO of Watchwith, an interactive video platform acquired by Comcast in 2016.
Denise Willsey
Denise Willsey is with HCLTechand has more than 20 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry. In her current role as Director of Sales in the HCL Telecom, Media & Technology group, she focuses on sales and business development, helping broadcasters and media and entertainment companies leverage cloud solutions and services to transform their operations and evolve their business models. Her expertise enables organizations to generate new and diversified revenue streams in an ever-changing landscape
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