Team & Board Members

Board

Advisory Board Members

Mark Bathrick - Director of the Office of Aviation Services (OAS) in the Department of the Interior (DOI)

Mark Bathrick has over 18 consecutive years’ experience leading multiple complex, fast-paced organizations to high levels of performance. Currently, Mark leads a nationwide aviation services enterprise for the federal government. He is a recognized expert in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and has been called upon by the White House, the Federal Aviation Administration, academia, and industry for his UAS expertise. Prior to his current position, Mark completed a career as a decorated Navy fighter pilot, experimental test pilot, finance specialist, a two-time squadron commander and base commander, retiring as a Navy Captain. Mark is an active member of the Boise Angel Alliance and is an Affiliate with the Boise State University Centre for Creativity and Innovation.

Mark was the first public sector executive to receive the international Dale Carnegie Leadership Award, recognized for his accomplishments in building a diverse team that successfully executed a federal business turnaround and saved 3,500 jobs. Mark also received a Presidential level award of excellence for this turnaround and the innovative new federal installation business model he developed.

Anthony Ellertson (Boise State University) – Director of Games, Interactive Media and Mobile Program

Currently working on the development of a new undergraduate major specializing in Games, Interactive Media, and Mobile Development (GIMM) while partnering with Art, Albertsons Library, Computer Science, Ed Tech, IT & Supply Chain Management, and Engineering here on campus. Currently the new GIMM program is funded under the College of Innovation and Design and we are creating an Innovation Space to serve as a resource to the program and the community. The Innovation Space will focus on cutting edge mobile tech, augmented reality, virtual reality, and maker spaces.

As an active researcher, Anthony is also principle investigator or co-principle investigator on a series of grants working with medical partners and social institutions both in and out of the state of Idaho. His goal is to leverage knowledge of mobile development and games toward the creation of enhanced therapy tools and applications for children with Autism and other communicative disorders.

In addition to working with children, Anthony is also co-principal investigator on a series of projects that are re imagining in and out patient care utilizing gesture based navigation, augmented reality, RFID technologies, custom built arduino devices, and other mobile solutions.

Specialties: I specialize in Mobile Development, Interaction Design, Flash/Flex/AIR Platform, Unity, Titanium Appcelerator, Web/Casual Games, Streaming Media/Adobe Media Server.

Mayor David Bieter - Mayor of Boise

David H. Bieter was elected Mayor of Boise in 2003 on the promise of making it the most livable city in the country. With his re-election in 2007 and again in 2011, Bieter continues to deliver on that pledge with new neighborhood libraries and parks, a strong economic development program and a commitment to environmental protection and sustainability..

Born and raised in Boise, Bieter is a graduate of Bishop Kelly High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in International Studies at The College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., before completing his Juris Doctorate at University of Idaho College of Law. He gained expertise in municipal issues as civil counsel to Bonner County in Sandpoint, as civil prosecutor and land-use specialist in the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, and later as a private attorney. He was chosen to assume his father’s seat in the Idaho House of Representatives after both of his parents, Pat and Eloise Bieter, were killed in an automobile accident in 1999. Voters elected him to full terms in the House in 2000 and again in 2002

Dr. Lorna Finman

Dr. Lorna Finman is a graduate of Stanford University with a PhD in physics. She is the owner of LCF Enterprises in Post Falls, Idaho which manufactures RF Power Amplifiers for commercial and military applications. She is the founder of Discovery Technology, which is a primary sponsor of the FIRST Lego League (FIRST for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Dr. Finman also hosts LEGO, robotics, virtual reality and tech challenges for schools. Dr. Finman was an astronaut candidate in 1989.

Brian Cleveley (University of Idaho) - Virtual Technology & Design program

Brian Cleveley has 25 plus years experience in the private and public sectors in the area of design technology. His main emphasis is in the area of designing immersive interactive virtual environments for use in serious gaming markets. Brian Cleveley is currently the Computer Studio Director for the College of Art & Architecture, University of Idaho, as well as an adjunct professor in the Virtual Technology & Design (VTD) program. Within the VTD program Brian teaches senior capstone design, advanced materials and lighting, and interactive technologies.

Jay Saenz - Founder of the Boise Virtual Reality Project

Jay is the founder of the Virtual Reality Project. Best known for his work as a photographer and filmmaker, Jose's photography series"Collaborations" was included in the City of Boise's Sesquicentennial Celebration Art Collection. His short film, "Emma" was featured in the Huffington Post and around in several international publications. Through the Virtual Reality Project Jose has helped several local organizations launch and develop immersive experiences----from the application of VR in industry and medicine to advising BSU's Space Broncos as they developed an interactive space museum.

TJ Thomson - Boise City Council

TJ is a proud Idaho native and Air Force Veteran. Following military service, TJ attended Boise State University (BSU), becoming heavily involved in both the Boise community, through volunteer service activities, and the university policy making process, as BSU Student Body President. TJ graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and then continued his studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, earning a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) Degree in Policy Analysis and Public Management. TJ is also a Certified Internal Auditor with the Institute of Internal Auditors.

TJ has built over a decade of experience as a steward of fiscal responsibility at the federal, state, and private levels. At the federal level, with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington D.C., he worked as a Space Policy Analyst on NASA programs – focusing heavily on finding tax payer savings on costly government initiatives, as well as improvements to Space Shuttle safety. While working in Washington DC, TJ also served as a Human Rights Commissioner, was trained as a community mediator, and helped organize the annual Martin Luther King Celebration. Upon returning to Idaho, TJ worked for the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) as a Program Evaluator. OPE is a nonpartisan, independent office that serves the Legislature by evaluating whether state government programs and agencies are operating efficiently, could operate more cost-effectively, and are achieving intended results. Presently, TJ works for Idaho Power Company as a Certified Internal Auditor – a role that focuses on the efficient use of resources and the integration of controls to promote ethical and open company practices.

Brett E. Shelton - Professor and Department Head, Department of Educational Technology

Dr. Brett E. Shelton uses a variety of mixed-method research approaches to study vision, perception, cognition, and the design and assessment of innovative technologies for learning. Other interests include immersive and interactive learning environments, data visualizations, open education, instructional simulations and educational gaming. He was the former director of the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning and the IDIAS Institute, both at Utah State University, where he taught before joining the faculty at Boise State University in 2013. He is the Department Head of Educational Technology in the College of Education, with a joint appointment in the College of Innovation + Design, and is Co-director of the Boise State Varsity eSports Program. Dr. Shelton holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in educational technology and cognitive studies, from the University of Washington, an M.T. in Industrial Management and Supervision, specializing in computer graphics and multimedia, from Arizona State University, and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Idaho.

Founding Members

Chuck Westerberg

Founding Member

Chuck Westerberg is an Idaho native who spent almost two decades working for and managing the family dental business. He attended graduate and undergraduate school at Boise State University and has degrees in history and Latin. Chuck has an affinity for ancient history, archaeology, and osteology and has spent time in Europe studying Roman weaponry and signs of possible violent trauma on gladiator remains. When he's not busy with the IVRC's educational programs you can find him volunteering for various local non-profits, coaching his two wonderful kid's baseball teams, and backpacking in Idaho's great outdoors.

Duane Mathes

Founding Member

With over 10 years as a creative director in the gaming, mobile app and print industries, Duane has a unique talent of translating abstract creative concepts into actionable, real-world results. His core competency is in bridging the gap between strategic, artistic and technical teams. He takes personal and career development very seriously and is always learning. Duane has lived an adventurous life across 27 countries, speaks 3 languages (English, Mandarin and Indonesian), and has an enthusiasm and zest for life that he bring to all the teams that he works with.

Steve Cutchin - Boise State University, CS

Founding Member

Dr. Steve Cutchin joined the faculty at Boise State University in August 2013 From 2008 to 2013 he was manager of the KAUST Visualization Laboratory Core Facility and the Supercomputer Facility at King Abdullah’s University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. At KAUST he recruited a technical team of engineers and visualization scientists while managing the building of the state of the art scientific data visualization laboratory on the KAUST campus, forged relationships with international university and corporate partners, continued to improve the laboratory and recruit new staff.

Prior to his work in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Cutchin worked at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) first as manager of Visualization Services at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and later at California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2). He has worked as a Sr. Software Engineer at Walt Disney Feature Animation developing software tools to improve animation production on feature films. He has published articles on Computer Graphics and Visualization, created animations for Discovery Channel and images for SIGGRAPH and Supercomputing conferences and journals. He received his doctorate from Purdue University in Computer Science.

Amy Gile - Founder and CEO of Silverdraft and Silverdraft-Devil & Demon

Founding Member

Silverdraft, pioneering maker of Devil and Demon super-computers for rendering, VFX transcoding, animation, Virtual Reality (VR) and visualization applications, will showcase the firepower of its products to enable groundbreaking, collaborative VR and accelerated VFX postproduction during SIGGRAPH 2016. Highlights include demonstrations of Demons running Autodesk’s VRED and Immersive Design Studios’ Canvas visualization software at the partner booths of NVIDIA Corporation and PNY Technologies, along with the launch of the industry’s fastest-ever Autodesk Flame at B&H.

Silverdraft’s custom-tuned Devil supercomputers and fast Demon workstations unleash unparalleled computing muscle in small footprints, delivering breakthrough technology that is optimized for software and task, which can easily scale from single users through to small, medium and large entertainment, industrial design and visualization facilities. Bluechip users include Tesla, Honda, Audi, GE, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, WWE, and Zimmerman Advertising.

Ken Holsinger VP Digital Solutions, Freeman Company, Founder & CEO of Klowd.com

Founding Member

Ken has over 20 years of experience in technology, media and event production as a lead executive, consultant, and speaker. He has served on the executive team in various roles for several different organizations. In addition, he has a background in event management, facility design, and start-up operations.

Ken founded Klowd.com in 2011 and has brought together a talented team of top developers and designers building several exciting products. SlideKlowd and FXP | touch are award winning, patented platforms aimed at the education and events markets to fundamentally transform presentations.

At the end of 2015 Klowd was acquired by its largest partner, The Freeman Companies based in Dallas, TX. Freeman and its subsidiaries are the leading producer of tradeshows, meetings and corporate events worldwide. FXP | touch is being used by the world's largest brands and trade associations to change the way presenters connect and engage with audiences.

David Cleverdon - Owner of 360 Immersive

Jennifer Lastra - CEO & Managing Director

Founding Members

Owner of DTX Creative / 360 Immersive. David is a creator of innovative digital content that creates results and drives new business. His creative technology services offer the latest in 4K video and audio production, 3D animation, VR authoring, and aerial video.

U.S. Navy Veteran Jennifer Lastra is a certified Project Management Professional, and cofounded 360 Immersive, LLC. Jennifer brings a sincere passion for immersive technology, and an enthusiasm to help businesses realize the potential in VR as the game-changing training and performance-enhancing tool of the future.