LEDs & SSL Design

LEDs Magazine 40 Under 40 Profile: Michael Kershner

July 24, 2020

Before founding Innovative Lighting Consultants, Michael Kershner worked as a cinematographer.

MICHAEL KERSHNER. (Photo credit: Image courtesy of Michael Kershner.)

Many in our 40 Under 40 Class took unique paths to arrive at their current position in the LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) sectors, but none more so than Michael Kershner. He began his career working as a cinematographer in the Los Angeles film industry. From there, he moved on to lighting design work at Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design. And he followed that up with a role as an applications engineer supporting sales at a distributor.

In retrospect, that varied background probably prepared Kershner perfectly to found and lead a unique lighting design firm that uses technology and process automation to merge the design and procurement processes.

A colleague said of Kershner, “He is able to connect data and technology with unusual ease. He is unwilling to accept poor processes. He has an uncanny ability to connect and form deep relationships with other like-minded people and industry leaders and innovators, and he loves to bring out the passion inside of colleagues and employees.”

Kershner is also giving back by working with Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design to create a lighting design certification program. Moreover, he is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Colorado board. Still, the firm he created is his legacy. The colleague said, “He created a company where outsiders or rebels of the industry can flourish while working in an innovative and ever-changing company.”

>> Visit the main page for LEDs Magazine 40 Under 40

About the Author

Carrie Meadows | Editor-in-Chief, LEDs Magazine

Carrie Meadows has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing and media industry. She worked with the PennWell Technology Group for more than 17 years, having been part of the editorial staff at Solid State Technology, Microlithography World, Lightwave, Portable Design, CleanRooms, Laser Focus World, and Vision Systems Design before the group was acquired by current parent company Endeavor Business Media.

Meadows has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards, and has volunteered as a judge on several B2B editorial awards committees. She received a BA in English literature from Saint Anselm College, and earned thesis honors in the college's Geisel Library. Without the patience to sit down and write a book of her own, she has gladly undertaken the role of editor for the writings of friends and family.

Meadows enjoys living in the beautiful but sometimes unpredictable four seasons of the New England region, volunteering with an animal shelter, reading (of course), and walking with friends and extended "dog family" in her spare time.

About the Author

Maury Wright | Editor in Chief

Maury Wright is an electronics engineer turned technology journalist, who has focused specifically on the LED & Lighting industry for the past decade. Wright first wrote for LEDs Magazine as a contractor in 2010, and took over as Editor-in-Chief in 2012. He has broad experience in technology areas ranging from microprocessors to digital media to wireless networks that he gained over 30 years in the trade press. Wright has experience running global editorial operations, such as during his tenure as worldwide editorial director of EDN Magazine, and has been instrumental in launching publication websites going back to the earliest days of the Internet. Wright has won numerous industry awards, including multiple ASBPE national awards for B2B journalism excellence, and has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards. He received a BS in electrical engineering from Auburn University.