The Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) has revealed its newly elected officers and governors, including the election of the Society’s first female president, Wendy Aylsworth. All officers will assume office 1 January 2013. Aylsworth, who was also the first woman to serve in her current capacity as SMPTE executive vice president, is the senior vice president of technology at Warner Bros. She previously served a two-year term as SMPTE engineering vice president, during which time she worked to streamline and further systemise the organisation’s standards-making process and initiated pivotal cross-industry collaboration on the 3D to the Home and Broadband standards. As SMPTE president, she will serve a two-year term, and succeeds outgoing president, Pete Ludé, senior vice president of engineering at Sony Corporation. Other incoming SMPTE officers include Robert P. Seidel, vice president of engineering and advanced technology for the CBS television network, who will serve as executive vice president for a two-year term; Matthew S. Goldman, senior vice president of TV compression technology at Ericsson, who will serve as financial vice president for a one-year term; Patrick D. Griffis, senior director of technology strategy in the office of the chief technology officer for Dolby, who will serve as education vice president for a two-year term; and, Ann Marie Rohaly, director of accessibility policy and standards for Microsoft Corporation, who will serve as secretary/treasurer for a two-year term. “With this election, the Society renews its emphasis on the three pillars of membership, standards and education; signifying the Society’s focus on supporting a diverse, worldwide engineering workforce that can keep pace with rapid proliferation of technologies in our digital media ecosystem”, said Barbara Lange, executive director of SMPTE.www.smpte.org
