Over the course of 110 years, SMPTE leadership has been at the forefront of the industry. Those who bare the title of SMPTE President have presided over a century of Standardization, education initiatives, and a community of engaged, passionate peers. SMPTE has had many presidents over the last century, and we wanted to highlight a few of them to showcase the evolution of SMPTE.
Charles F. Jenkins was the founder of SMPTE, and one of the most influential figures in the motion imaging sciences. Jenkins transmitted the first wireless moving images in 1923, after a young deaf girl reached out to him, requesting a way to experience the stories told over the radio. Jenkins first transmission was of a pair of hands performing different signs. The second was of a toy windmill. From there it was off to the races. Jenkin’s inventions eventually led to the modern notion of television, quite the accolade for the founder of our esteemed organization.
Herbert Barnett served as SMPTE President from 1953-1954, and presided over the organization during the advent of wide-screen and stereo sound breakthroughs. This was also the advent of 3-D technology, though that technology was often called “confusing” by engineers and audiences at the time. Even with the mixed reviews of these innovations, member in SMPTE exploded under President Barnett, and the society continued to thrive as the membership sought new ways to bring stories to the masses.
Kenneth M. Mason served as President from 1974-1975, and presided over SMPTE’s Emmy win for the Television Time Code. Even more impressive, he helped SMPTE establish its international presence by having the organization attend conferences overseas. He also expanded SMPTE’s conference offerings, ensuring the organization holds a conference in the States every year instead of every two years.
M. Carlos Kennedy served as President from 1987-1988, and presided over SMPTE’s Emmy win for D-1 Standards. In fact, he was on the working group for those Standards. Kennedy brought SMPTE all over the world, including to Beijing, where he showed cased a multitude of technologies that cemented television as a matured industry.
Wendy Aylsworth was SMPTE’s first female President, serving from 2013-2014. Wendy spent her life advocating for women in male dominated fields like aerospace engineering, production engineering, and animation technology and operations. She did similar work for SMPTE, and joined the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Renard T. Jenkins was the first black President of SMPTE, and served from 2023-2024. During his presidency, he presided over a revitalization of the Media Technology Summit, as well as increased student participation, including the first student chapter from an HBCU, Clark Atlanta University. Additionally, he helped SMPTE navigate the rough waters of AI when it first hit the industry, and paved the way for the current SMPTE administration.
Rich Welsh is the current SMPTE President, and has presided over several strategic initiatives to bring the organization into the future. During his presidency, Welsh has overseen the releasing of free SMPTE Standards to everyone in the industry, championed AI initiatives like content provenance and authenticity, and has provided support for the SMPTE 110 Anniversary Donation Campaign to raise money for the future of SMPTE education.
Eric Gsell will be the next SMPTE President and will serve from 2027 to the end of 2028. Gsell is currently the Executive Vice President, and has been a member of SMPTE for years, serving in the Standards community and as a section leader. Gsell's leadership experience will serve him well as SMPTE's next president, and we can't wait to see what he has in store.
These are only a few of the people who made SMPTE what it is today. Each one of these leaders had illustrious careers both before and after their terms, and their innovative mindsets allowed SMPTE to grow into a powerhouse organization. SMPTE presidents will continue to carry the banner of innovation and success, ensuring that the organization will thrive over the next century.