Board of Directors
2026-2027
Paul Speaker
President
I have been interested in photography since childhood growing up in the Portland, Oregon area, when I began with roll film and a box Brownie. After active duty in the US Navy, I attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA, where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in Industrial Photography and Color Technology. Shortly thereafter, I was hired by General Dynamics Corp, where I worked as an industrial photographer and color printer for 10 years. When our facility was sold and moved, I switched to Lifetouch, a school photography company, where, for 10 years I photographed classroom groups from 6 to 600 students, dances, seniors, and sports. I had my first Photoshop class in January, 2000, and, by April had hired on as a full-time retoucher for a local full-service portrait studio. Currently, I am semi-retired, accepting assignments if they interest me, but mostly doing Photoshop work for other photographers.
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I am a Lifetime member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), having served on the PPA Council for nine years between about 2005 and 2014. Through PPA, I have been certified as a Certified Professional Photographer. I have also earned the PPA Master of Photography Degree, the Photographic Craftsman Degree, and the Master Artist Degree. At the state level, I have earned recognition as a California Master Photographer. I have been the recipient of two Peoples Choice Awards, a Fuji Masterpiece Award, and two Kodak Gallery Awards at the state level. I am a past president of the Inland Empire Professional Photographers and Videographers, based in Riverside, CA, a local affiliate of Professional Photographers of California (PPC).
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I served as President of the International Association of Panoramic Photographers (IAPP) during 2013-14 and remained involved as a board member until term limited out in 2019. In June 2024, I was elected to serve as President-elect and Treasurer, slated to return to the Presidential role in 2026.
Within Photographic Society of America (PSA), I am a Past President of the Southern California Council of Camera Clubs (S4C). I am also a member of two S4C affiliated clubs: Photochromers (based in Sierra Madre), and the Riverside Art Museum’s Photo Artist Network (PAN). I received my first Recognition of Photographic Achievement (ROPA) distinction, PPSA, September, 2017. Within the Pictorial Image Division (PID) Digital Study Groups community, I am active in two where I serve as both Commentator and Secretary for DSG 29 Natural Landscape and DSG 52 Competitive. I also serve as the Secretary to the Board of Directors of the Pictorial Image Division (PID) of PSA. In October, 2022, I received recognition for my portfolio entry Semi-Arid Beauty which qualified for the Bronze award (BPSA). In May, 2024, my Silver portfolio entry Bombay Beach Art Scene was approved and in the second 2024 round of portfolio assessment, in July, my Gold portfolio entry Bareback Rodeo Action was accepted. I was recognized for my volunteer service to PSA as an Associate of PSA (APSA) at the September 2023 PSA Photo Festival.
Paul Speaker, APSA, PPSA, GPSA, M.Photog., M.Artist, Cr.
David Berg is a lifelong resident of Minnesota and holds a degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Minnesota. He and his wife Linda reside in south Minneapolis.
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For 25 years Mr. Berg was employed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a Ranger/Naturalist with Minnesota State Parks. A major portion of his time was spent presenting interpretive programs for school groups and the general public.
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Mr. Berg then took a position with the Minnesota Historical Society at their newest historic site – Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis- where, for 13 years, he portrayed William de la Barre, the hydro engineer who, in 1885, “re-engineered St. Anthony falls” to maximize the power of falling water to run the largest flour mills in the world, making Minneapolis the city that it is today!
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Mr. Berg and his wife both retired in 2016 and keep busy using their time and talents volunteering for church and civic organizations. David Berg does a range of color and black-and-white photography, primarily fine art, and specializes in panoramic images of environmental and city landscapes, architecture and historical landmarks.
David Alan Berg
Past President
D.John McCarthy
Treasurer/President Elect
Dennis John McCarthy, aka D. John McCarthy is a native of Massachusetts and lives in Wilbraham with his wife Mary. He has a son who is a Massachusetts State Police trooper.
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He has been active in photography since he was in High School. He is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology where he received an A.A.S. and a B.S. degree in Professional Photography. He also graduated with a Master in Education and a MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
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John also holds the professional degrees of Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degree from the Professional Photographers of America. He earned his Masters with his panoramic photography.
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He worked as a photographer at UMass for seven years and for Fujifilm for 28 years in a variety of sales, marketing, and technical positions. He is also retired from the U.S. Navy after serving over 23 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and Naval Reserves.
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After retirement John has a part time pet photography business, sails a ten meter sailboat in the summer out of the Naval Station Newport RI and enjoys skiing in the winter in New England and has even skied in Germany several times over the past years. He takes care of his son's horse and pony.
John volunteers as the Director of The Valley Photo Center, a 501c3 not for profit that has a small photo gallery in Springfield and a camera club in Longmeadow.
International award-winning photographer Michelle Ranee Johnson draws on her backgrounds in Geology and Anthropology to create images that connect land, people, and viewer. She aims to transport viewers into her images and invite them to feel the peace and wonder she experiences in wild places. Through her art, Michelle hopes to offer a sanctuary from the chaos dominating the headlines.
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Her honors include Honorable Mention at the IPA Awards, Bronze at the Fine Art Photo Awards, Silver at the 2025 Black and White reFocus Awards, and selection of "The Parched Earth" for Photofest 2019 by National Geographic Yourshot in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Michelle Ranee Johnson
Secretary
Dave Kutz
Director
Dave has been an IAPP member since 1993. Has served on the board since 2012 as a Director, Secretary, Past President and two terms as President.
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His working background is in the field of motion pictures and television. Earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Professional Photography from The Rochester Institute of Technology where his major was motion picture production and film animation. During his 47+ year career, Dave has been involved in a wide variety of corporate, documentary films and live events. In his specialty camera duties, you will find him operating Steadicams, or a 32-foot camera crane as well as various car mounted rigs.
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His interest in panoramic photography started in the mid 80’s while looking for a cost-effective way to train his eye to compose for wide screen format films. “I purchased an Art Panorama 617 camera and carried that with me on jobs for quite a few years, shooting in the off hours on locations. Later I discovered the Xpan and continue to carry both on jobs.”
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In the early 90’s he started working with Roundshot and Hulcherama cameras. Dave has designed the lighting and directed lighting crews for the Pennsylvania State House and Senate group photographs and continues working with the House photos through this current session. Today, Dave is working with digital panoramas and multiscreen shows as well as continuing with the film-based techniques depending on the job.
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Cinematographer, Lighting Director, Specialty Camera Operator
Lancaster, PA
Jacky Lee is a distinguished visual artist recognized by the Australian Government and an ambassador of the International Association of Art Photographers. A self‑taught Hong Kong–born photographer now based in Canberra, he won the National Geographic Photo Contest, and his award‑winning work has been exhibited internationally. A qualified photo judge with APJA, VAPS and PSA, he mentors photographers through PSA and RPS and serves on the APS Management Committee, chairing its AI & Authorship Standards Subcommittee. He also contributes to CAPA’s AI Advisory Committee. Beyond his creative practice, he is a Chartered Building Surveyor and Chartered Building Engineer with over two decades of experience.
Jacky Lee
Director
Chris Gjevre
Director
Christopher Gjevre was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chris acquired a degree in audio video technology, including still photography, and worked in the photo industry for 8 years at a lab.
After a short stint with the FAA as an air traffic controller, he joined forces with James Blakeway in 1991 and has worked for Blakeway Worldwide Panoramas, Inc. ever since. Chris has traveled the far reaches of the globe hunting photographs of the world’s most popular cities, sites and some of the best known sporting events in the world.
In addition to photography, Chris is an avid scuba diver and has put much of his passion into building a North woods lake cabin getaway for his family in Northern Wisconsin.
Minnetonka, MN
Bob Rose, Associate Professor Emeritus at RIT’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, has made global contributions that helped companies improve products, strengthen brand awareness, and advance photographic technology. Throughout his career, he developed new devices and techniques, guided the adoption of emerging technologies, and influenced key product‑launch decisions as Editor‑at‑Large for Photo District News and Rangefinder for 17 years. He has photographed on six continents, published extensively, and holds two patents. Bob earned degrees from RIT and the American Intercontinental University and received the 2019 Chuck Westfall Technical Education Award for his impact on the photographic industry.
Bob Rose
Director