Board of Directors

Alex Capecelatro

Chairperson

Alex Capecelatro is the founder and CEO of Josh.ai, a voice-controlled home automation system with a focus on artificial intelligence. Josh.ai utilizes a proprietary natural language understanding (NLU) engine with state-of-the-art home control integrations for a powerful smart home experience. Capecelatro's focus is at the intersection of elegant design, cutting-edge software, and purposeful hardware to offer transformational experiences. Capecelatro received his engineering degree from UCLA and currently splits his time between LA and Denver.

Amanda Wildman

Vice Chairperson

Amanda Wildman is a dedicated innovator and co-owner of TruMedia, a renowned family-owned business that has been at the forefront of pioneering home automation and entertainment solutions for families across Michigan for over two decades. She, along with her team, has diligently built TruMedia's reputation into one of a trusted provider of home automation systems, home theatre solutions, and custom integrations.

Amanda's unwavering passion lies in crafting technology solutions that seamlessly harmonize with the core of your home. Her commitment to user-friendly designs ensures that every member of your household can effortlessly enjoy the convenience and sophistication in smart home technology that TruMedia offers. Beyond her entrepreneurial ventures, Amanda is an active contributor to the smart home technology industry. Her impressive volunteer positions within CEDIA, including Chair of the Professional Development Advisory Council (PDAC), CEDIA’s Certification Commission, CEDIA’s Business Working Group, and participation in Workforce Development, underscore her dedication to advancing the industry's skills and education.

Amanda's journey in smart home technology is supported by a solid educational foundation, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree from Calvin University, CEDIA ESC, CIT-SME, and IST-SME certifications, and is an electrical apprentice. With a keen focus on innovation, dedication to her craft, and commitment to serving her community, Amanda Wildman continues to shape the landscape of modern smart home technology solutions.

Jen Mallett

Treasurer

Jennifer Mallett has been in the home technology industry for 24 years with 15 years’ experience on the manufacturer side and 8 years’ experience as the owner of her own integration company, Level Up Automation. She founded Level Up in 2016 with a vision to bring outstanding home automation experiences to the mid market segment. In 2020 she founded Level Up Franchise which has pioneered the first national franchise system in the industry.  Today, Level Up Automation creates smart homes and intelligent buildings in Massachusetts, Arizona, Virginia, Connecticut, New York, Louisiana, Florida, Ohio, and Maryland. 

Prior to establishing Level Up Automation, Jennifer served as the head of the residential custom installation business unit for Bose in the U.S. and Canada, as well as providing additional global leadership advisory roles in Europe, India, the Middle East, and Australia. A graduate of Bentley University, Jennifer has a BS in Marketing and is a CEDIA Certified Outreach Instructor. 

Jamie Briesemeister

Secretary

Jamie Briesemeister is chief executive officer and co-founder of Integration Controls in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. An avid speaker at conferences and seminars, Briesemeister often participates in panel discussions, presenting informative sessions, or offering Continuing Education Units to architects and designers. She serves as an advocate for technology considerations and collaboration in the design/build process and has written for Connected Design and Residential Tech Today. Briesemeister is a CEDIA Outreach Instructor (COI), avid volunteer, member of the Industry Relations Advisory Council, and previous chair of the Governance Committee.

David Weinstein

Immediate Past Chairperson

David Weinstein is Vice President-Residential Sales for Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., in Coopersburg, PA.  He is responsible for developing market and sales growth across residential market segments for all of Lutron’s professionally designed and installed products and solutions.

David has worked in the lighting control, shading, and lighting systems business for over 40 years.  Before joining Lutron in 1999, he was president of Yusen Associates, a New England based manufacturer’s representative for lighting and electrical construction products. 

David is past president of the Electric Institute of New England, the Connecticut Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society, and the Connecticut Electric Association. He is currently board member of CEDIA, where he serves as Immediate Past Chairperson, and is a board member of HTA.  (Home Technology Association)   

David has a B.S. from Northeastern University and is a Certified Professional Manufacturers Representative

Eric Bodley

Board Director

Eric Bodley has more than forty years of experience in the consumer electronics industry and has consulted for dozens of retail and custom installation companies on sales, management, and operational issues. In 2015, Bodley founded Future Ready Solutions, a national supply source for fiber optic, signal distribution, and connectivity products for the residential and commercial installation markets. He previously served as president of the CEDIA Board of Directors, was named a CEDIA Fellow in 2009, and was awarded CEDIA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

James Chen

Board Director

James Chen is a US-Australian entrepreneur, author and speaker with over 30 years’ experience in the AV industry. James has dedicated his career to creating a connected world that works. At Kordz, a multi-award-winning cable manufacturer, he is managing director and lead product designer of Kordz’ professional-grade connectivity solutions designed for systems technicians. Working closely with the industry and technology leaders, the range is engineered to be robust, fast and effective and help integrators push the boundaries of the audio-visual experience. 

James is a technology enthusiast passionate about the way it can serve humanity. He constantly seeks to expand his knowledge, which led him to recently complete his study of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology at MIT. He enjoys sharing his expertise and regularly authors and presents on topics such tech trends in AV installation and how to design for the human-technology interface.  

 James champions ‘Predictable Reliability’, a concept he created to define integrity in intelligent system design by predicting and engineering to prevent failure. For James, Predictable Reliability is a constant practice and way of life, extending beyond technology into behaviour, method, systems, products, people and business. 

For many years, James has served on CEDIA’s Technology Council, Governance Committee and Certification Commission, which creates industry accredited certification to ANSI and ISO/IEC 17024 standards for Professional Systems Technicians. He is now part of the Technical Education Committee and RP23 video standards working group, and in 2023, was awarded the honour of CEDIA Fellow. 

 When he’s not dreaming up new products, James is an avid musician, photographer, foodie, people person and world traveller.  
 

Mike Chorney

Board Director

As president of La Scala Integrated Media located in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Mike’s passion for music has driven him from his humble beginnings in his garage start up business that eventually evolved to founding and building out the largest retail service provider brands in Canada – Geek Squad (Best Buy), Connect Pro (Future Shop); a far departure from the medical career that his schooling was focused on.  After working for national companies for over 10 years, Chorney took an interest in the home automation side of the business and was the director of sales and marketing for Trends Electronics, which was most notable as the largest Sonance distributor.

Mike has always challenged himself and his team to be the benchmark for quality and has been active in organizations to share in the possibilities and importance of striving for excellence.   Mike has been involved with many children’s charities, served on an advisory council for CEDIA, and is active with the graduating schools hosting events for new interior designers and legacy veterans.  Mike believes that a career with passion and active participation is the best way to share in the art of technology.

Edward Gilmore

Board Director

In 1988 as a professional classical musician, Ed began a parallel career as an audio consultant to a leading Architectural and Interior Design firm, which included designing, bidding out, and overseeing projects. By 1991, having learned many of the intricacies of custom installation, Gilmore formed his own full-service company, Gilmore’s Sound Advice, Inc. (GSA). Having been involved in the industry since the advent of audio distribution, the infancy of home theater, and witnessing the evolution of the “smart” home and residential control systems, affords Gilmore a broad historical perspective of the industry.

For many years, Gilmore’s Sound Advice strictly adhered to a word-of-mouth recommendation policy to insure the company’s commitment to superior installation and unsurpassed client support. This policy was directly responsible for an impressive, high profile client resume. With the move to an 8,000 square foot facility in 2016, Gilmore created one of the most unique showroom and event spaces in New York City. Additionally, increased workspace allows GSA staff to rack build, program, and test all systems before they leave the facility. This includes the ability to qualify dimming capabilities of LED lighting fixtures. An active member of CEDIA, HTSA, and HTA, a commitment to process, documentation, ongoing education, and certification underscores GSA’s commitment to provide clients with an informed assessment of the industry’s best available options and practices.

Stephan Goodhue

Board Director

Stephan has been involved in the Home Automation / IT / AV industry for over 30 years. He began as an Electronics Engineer and worked in the marine industry for over a decade before establishing his integration firm, Liquid Automation. Stephan’s vision was to provide the same high level of ‘marine-standard’ installation work that he had been accustomed to in residential and commercial projects. Both Stephan and his business became CEDIA members in 2007 and acquired many awards, achieving winning projects every year. He has served as a CEDIA board member for the Australia/New Zealand region and was instrumental in the CEDIA Expo in New Zealand which was a huge success. As a Certified CEDIA Outreach Instructor, he has advocated on behalf of the association and industry on panels at events and has served as a board member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, the world’s only peer-to-peer network exclusively for transformational entrepreneurs and leaders. Additionally, Stephan is a trained board moderator who regularly uses these skills for his local EO forum. 

Melanie Malcolm

Board Director

Melanie Malcolm is Co-Owner of Leeds, Yorkshire UK-based Bespoke Home Cinemas specialising in Cinema and Smart Home Technology across the UK residential market. Melanie currently sits on the global Board of Directors for CEDIA and recently appointed to the Governance Committee. In 2016 Melanie was elected to the CEDIA EMEA board and contributed to CEDIA's global alignment process. An active CEDIA volunteer, she has served in roles including: Secretary on the Executive Board, Chair of the Smart Home Apprenticeship Trailblazer Committee, and CEDIA Awards Judge for the EMEA region.

Melanie, also a Director for Together For Cinema, a Community Interest Company that focuses on designing and installing home cinema rooms in children’s hospices and other suitable locations across the UK.

Outside the industry, Melanie is Co-Founder and Director of the Yorkshire Choice Awards, an organisation that recognises the achievements of inspirational individuals, independent businesses and charities.

James Ratcliffe

Board Director

James began his career in home technology and developed a passion for music, sound, and electronics from a young age when he joined a hi-fi store at the age of 14. His involvement with CEDIA started in 2002 and became the youngest member of the CEDIA EMEA Board of Directors at the age of 24. James established his design-centric, integration firm Homeplay, in 2006 with it earning the prestigious ISO:9001 accreditation for organizations that demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.  Under his leadership, Homeplay became the second CEDIA member globally to achieve CEDIA’s Member of Excellence status and has been bestowed with numerous awards including CEDIA, Control4, D-Tools, and local business recognition. In 2018, Homeplay opened an experience center, with it winning Best Showroom EMEA at the CEDIA Awards. Over the years, James has continued to be heavily involved, assisting with the UK Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group, numerous CEDIA working groups, a UK lighting CPD course, and training at ISE. He regularly provides training to interior designers and architects as a CEDIA Outreach Instructor. 

Stuart Tickle

Board Director

Stuart Tickle is the owner and Managing Director of AWE, a leading smart home technology distribution and training company in the UK that represents some of the industry’s best known AV brands & specialist custom installation products.

Stuart joined AWE in 1990 when the family business was a small hi-fi retailer and electronics manufacturer, based in South London, England. He steered the expansion of the business into specialised distribution for the custom installation market and took over as Managing Director in 2001 as the fourth generation at the helm of the family business.

Stuart served as a Director of the Industry Association CEDIA UK from 2003 to 2009 holding posts including treasurer and Expo Chair. In 2018, Stuart was presented with a Special Achievement Award by ERT Magazine recognising his contribution in encouraging retailers to evolve to meet newer market demands, including providing installation.

With a wealth of CI and retail industry experience, Stuart is a regular contributor for the UK trade and consumer press.

AWE is established as a key player, is the winner of a multitude of industry accolades including multiple CEDIA Best Trade Supplier and Best Training awards.  Their Epsom based headquarters features an impressive show apartment which is available for integrators to use for training and client demonstrations. AWE is also a long-standing operational partner of Together For Cinema, a charitable company which has now provided over £1m worth of cinema systems to children’s hospices in the UK.

AWE’s impressive brand portfolio includes the exclusive UK or CI distribution of Bowers & Wilkins speakers, Projectors from Sony, Epson and Hisense, URC home automation systems, Denon & Marantz AV products and Adeo projection screens. Other CI distribution agreements include TVs from Panasonic, LG and Sony, automated window shading Silent Gliss, and video distribution products from HD Anywhere.