At this year’s IES Conference in Anaheim, Lighting Matters hosts Lisa Reed and Avraham "Avi" Mor took the show on the road to gather insights from five lighting professionals shaping the industry’s future. Their voices reveal a field alive with advocacy, innovation, and purpose.

Violet Estes of Cantara Design shared how she bridges luxury lighting and home automation, insisting that creative integrity comes first: “We only take on projects where we’re doing the lighting design; it’s how we protect the vision.”

Nick Albert, founder of Chromatic Lighting Design, introduced Light Equity, a nonprofit bringing professional lighting design to homes rebuilt after California wildfires. His work reminds us that light can be both technical and deeply human.

Shoshana Segal of Hartranft Lighting Studios urged designers to reach beyond their usual circles to teach, speak, and advocate in places where lighting’s importance isn’t yet understood. “We’re the only ones whose job is to make sure everyone can see,” she said.

From within the integrated firm SmithGroup, Paige Donnell reframed lighting not as an add-on but as essential scope. “Lighting is critical,” she noted. “Somebody has to do it and do it right.”

And veteran designer Paul Gregory of Focus Lighting distilled it all to one simple truth: “You don’t see the column. You see the light that bounces off it.”

Across perspectives, one theme echoed through the conference: the future of design depends on how well we tell lighting’s story and how boldly it shines. 

Listen to the whole episode here.