October 10, 2025
IALD Names Five New Fellows at Enlighten Americas
Designers honored for decades of impact, leadership, and mentorship
TUCSON, Arizona — At the base of the Catalina Foothills, under the subtle hues of an October sky, five lighting designers were inducted into the International Association of Lighting Designers’ (IALD) College of Fellows — one of the profession’s highest honors.
This year’s ceremony opened the Enlighten Americas 2025 conference, with IALD President Andrea Hartranft getting a bit choked up and declaring the inductees “dear friends.” For an industry often seen through the cold metrics of footcandles and fixtures, this moment was unambiguously human. The new Fellows:
- Teal Brogden
- Jill Cody
- Aram Ebben
- Ron Kurtz
- Mônica Luz Lobo
A Profession, Illuminated
Fellowship within IALD is more than career achievement. It signals a designer who has left fingerprints on the global lighting community — not just through built work, but through mentorship, leadership, and institutional change.
(L to R): Aram Ebben, Jill Cody, Ron Kurtz, IALD President Andrea Hartranft, Mônica Luz Lobo, and Teal Brogden
Teal Brogden, President of HLB Lighting Design, has spent over 40 years elevating design conversations in both boardrooms and classrooms. Her résumé spans iconic projects — the Griffith Observatory, Hayward Field — and institutions from California to Hong Kong. But colleagues describe her influence as less about reach and more about calibration: the quiet correction that brings a project, or a person, into focus.
Jill Cody, founder of Dark Light Design, has lit civic spaces across the Pacific Northwest with a language that prioritizes human experience over technical bravado. Her projects — like the Seattle Ferry Terminal and Pike Place Market Expansion — emphasize light’s narrative function. Cody’s work doesn’t just illuminate; it articulates space, mood, and memory. Behind the scenes, she has chaired committees, led mentorship programs, and shaped the IALD Education Trust as its current president.
For Aram Ebben, Principal at EXP, lighting is inseparable from storytelling. Trained in theatre design, Ebben’s portfolio ranges from hospitals to themed entertainment, with an unmistakable scenographic sensibility. A vocal advocate for education and the LERN program, he sees design not just as output, but as a process of public engagement.
Ron Kurtz, also of Dark Light Design, brings a meticulous hand to complex civic infrastructure. From the Gateway Arch in St. Louis to the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, his projects span utility and symbolism. Kurtz’s long IALD tenure includes leadership roles on finance, membership, and liaison committees — spaces where influence is less visible but often more impactful.
Mônica Luz Lobo, the most internationally recognized of this year’s class, was the first South American designer to earn the Certified Lighting Designer (CLD) credential. A former IALD president, she led the association through the volatility of the pandemic. Her firm, LD Studio, has completed more than 1,700 projects across Brazil and beyond. Still, peers describe her leadership not by the numbers, but by her grace — “playful and practical,” “progressive but grounded.”
The ceremony in Tucson offered a thoughtful pause for a profession more focused on shaping experiences than claiming credit. For the five new Fellows, the honor marked both a culmination and a continuation — recognizing decades of work while reaffirming their commitment to the next generation of designers.
