IDA Technical Committee

The International Dark-Sky Association Technical Committee is made up of highly-skilled lighting specialists and environmental scientists and provides guidance to the Board, Executive Director, and staff on policies and guidelines related to outdoor lighting practices.

Nancy Clanton, PE, FIES, FIALD, LC, LEED Fellow

CEO, Clanton & Associates, Inc.
U.S.

Committee Chair

Nancy Clanton is founder and CEO of Clanton & Associates, a lighting design firm specializing in sustainable and regenerative design. Nancy is passionate about lighting design that supports human visual comfort, while also preserving dark skies and reducing environmental impact on flora and fauna. As co-chair of the IDA/IES Model Lighting Ordinance Committees, chair of the IES Lighting for Outdoor Public Spaces Committee, former chair of the IES Outdoor Environmental Lighting Committee, and a contributor to IES TM-15 B.U.G. rating system Nancy brings a wealth of technical application expertise.

In addition to her work with IES, Nancy is a registered Professional Engineer, a member of the National Academy of Science committee on the assessment of solid-state lighting, and an International Standards Organization (ISO) 205 WG 7 USA delegate.

Nancy’s numerous awards include the 2013 IDA Dark Sky Defender Award, the 2018 Edison Report Lifetime Achievement Award, 2014 ACEC Colorado Outstanding Woman Engineer Award, the International CleanDesign Award, and the 2021 CU Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Chad Moore

U.S.

Chad Moore holds degrees in Geography and Earth Science and has a longtime interest in the beauty and science of the night sky.

From 1999 to 2015 he led the U.S. National Park Service Night Skies Program, establishing a conservation ethic and strategy addressing natural nightscapes.

Chad has published papers on the measurement of light pollution, visual characteristics of a natural night sky, cultural astronomy, and has supported the research of several avenues of inquiry surrounding the night sky. Working with naturalists and interpreters he co-developed a curriculum for communicating the impact light pollution and motivating conservation.

Chad co-authored IDA guidance on International Dark Sky Parks in 2006, International Dark Sky Reserves in 2009, and has served on the IDA Technical Committee since 2017.

Robert Adams, Ph.D.

Managing Partner, C&W Energy Solutions LLC
U.S.

Robert Adams earned his Ph.D. from Brown University. Over his career, he has acquired a depth and breadth of experience in research and development resulting in the introduction of new technology in the marketplace.

Now as founder and President of C&W Energy Solutions, Dr. Adams is a pioneer in utilizing the science of lighting to effect change in the ecology. Recent field studies undertaken with the Mauna Kea Observatory on the Big Island of Hawai’i and the Smithsonian Institute in the Amazon Rain Forest have successfully demonstrated the company’s cutting-edge products ability to address unique challenges to the environment.

Terry McGowan

Illuminating Engineer/Designer, Lighting Ideas Inc.
U.S.

Terry is a longtime member of the IDA and has served on the IDA Board (8 years) and as chair of the IDA Technical Committee.

He was with GE Lighting in Cleveland, OH, for 38 years as a lighting application engineer and then Manager of Application Engineering & Training. He retired in 1998 and opened his own consulting business, Lighting Ideas, Inc., which is involved in lighting research, education, and outdoor lighting applications. He worked with the Geauga Parks District on the designation of Observatory Park (Montville, OH) as a Dark Sky Park and is a member of the newly-formed IDA Ohio Chapter.

Terry is a Fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society, a recipient of the IES Medal Award and a member of the International Commission on Illumination. His education includes a B.S. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in Electrical and Illumination Engineering.

 

Christian K. Monrad

Principal, Monrad Engineering, Inc. 
U.S.

Chris is registered as a Professional Engineer (Electrical) in Arizona (37386) with more than 37 years of experience in design and construction phase activities for a variety of outdoor lighting related projects. His expertise also includes master planning activities with representatives of the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, Marana Airport, Tucson Airport Authority, City of Tucson, Pima County, and numerous school districts and private entities throughout Southern Arizona.

Chris is involved with various technical and professional societies, serving twice as President for the Board of Directors of the International Dark-Sky Association and past IDA Board Member for 21 years; past-president of the So. AZ. Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

Chris has recently worked nearly 20 municipalities to facilitate logical, economical, and astronomically/ecologically sensitive transitions from HID to LED street lighting systems around the US to preserve the economic vitality of astronomical and optics industries as well as to protect the night sky for all citizens. Approximately 500,000 luminaires total are anticipated to be replaced in these locales.

 

Kirt W. Rusenko, Ph.D.

Marine Conservationist, City of Boca Raton at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
U.S.

Kirt has been the Marine Conservationist for the City of Boca Raton based at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center since 1995. He is in charge of the Boca Raton Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program which monitors sea turtles on Boca Raton’s five miles of beaches. He has been working on reducing many forms of environmentally destructive lighting that is now negatively impacting sea turtles even in areas with no beachfront lighting.

Kirt was awarded the 2012 Lighting Design Award and a 2013 Dark Sky Defender Award from the International Dark-Sky Association.

Previously he has been Research Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of North Carolina Medical School in Chapel Hill, Research and Development Scientist for Thermo Separation Products in Riviera Beach, FL, and Environmental Specialist for Florida Power and Light at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.

 

Brad Schlesselman

Senior Research Engineer, Musco Lighting Company
U.S.

Brad is responsible for various lighting and vision research projects at Musco Lighting in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He began his lighting career as a Lighting Designer for Musco in 1998. In 2001, he successfully completed the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions, Lighting Certification (LC) exam. In 2005, he took on the role of a Lighting Specialist, with emphasis on Technical Training/Education. In 2012, he became a Senior Research Engineer engaged with vision research on the Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (IPRGC)/melanopsin receptors and their role on perceived brightness.

During his time with Musco, he has conducted numerous speaking engagements and is currently the Chair of the Discomfort Glare in Outdoor Nighttime Environments Committee (IES).

He is also a member of the Sky Glow Committee (IES) and serves on the International Dark-Sky Association Technical Committee. 

Melanopic Research Presentations/Demonstrations:

•       2015 IES Annual Conference (Indianapolis, IN)
•       2016 CORM Annual Meetings (Gaithersburg, MD)
•       2016 IES Research Symposium (Gaithersburg, MD)
•       PNNL – Lighting Research Facility (Portland, OR)
•       2017 IES Annual Conference (Portland, OR)
•       2018 LightFair (Chicago, IL)
•       2019 DOE-SSL R&D Workshop (San Diego, CA) – Upcoming

 

Karolina M. Zielinska-Dabkowska

Asst. Prof. Dr., GUT LightLab, Gdansk University of Technology (GUT)
Poland

Karolina is a chartered RIBA architect and award-winning practicing lighting designer. She is also an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland, and co-founder of GUT LightLab, where she conducts research on various aspects of light and lighting in the built environment.

Actively engaged in the work of international organizations including the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) and the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), Karolina is well known for her critical voice on urban lighting and light pollution, providing guidelines and sharing best practice for nighttime illumination to policymakers, investors, lighting professionals, and manufacturers.

In 2015, she was awarded the Professional Lighting Design Recognition Award in the Research category for her work on the non-visual effects of light on humans, flora, and fauna. Karolina regularly speaks at international lighting design and light pollution conferences and has published her work in scientific journals such as Nature and Sustainability.

Dr. Darcie Chinnis, PE, IALD, MIES, LEED AP BD + C, WELL AP

U.S.

Darcie has worked in the lighting industry since 2005. She has been involved in the design and engineering of complex lighting and control systems for a wide range of project types, and her projects have been honored with a number of IES Awards of Merit. She brings strong working experience in daylighting, controls, energy codes, environmental impact assessment, and light pollution. She particularly enjoys projects requiring a focus on the user experience, such as lighting designs intended to evoke an emotion, tell a story, or meet a special visual need.

Darcie is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado, a Professional Member of the International Association of Lighting Designers, a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, a WELL Accredited Professional having served on IWBI’s COVID-19 Task Force and Airport Advisory, a past member of the Board of Directors of the International Dark-Sky Association, an active member of the Illuminating Engineering Society, and a committee member for the non-energy revisions to the Denver Green Code.

 

Jeremy White