If you would like to be an official sponsor of the NGPA 2007 Conference, please review a list of sponsorship opportunities or contact Richard Beto.
Conference Speakers
Vic Nathan Barkin
Owner and Consultant,
Vic Barkin Consulting
Vic Nathan Barkin has more than 30 years of experience in the printing industry and currently owns a consulting practice specializing in digital printing business development, workflow, and technology implementation geared to the in-plant community. He also offers expertise in “Green Printing” practices and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification facilitation. Barkin serves as vice president for the Mountain States Printing Education Foundation and is a contributing writer for In-Plant Graphics Magazine.
Vic was the manager of Northern Arizona University’s Printing Services department for 12 years and recently served as the digital printing solutions sales manager for Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. A Certified Graphic Communications Manager with IPMA, he is also a past president of the IPMA’s Arizona chapter, and has been a presenter at ACUP, SUPDMC, PIAMS/ERP and the Big12 Printers Conference.
Benjamin Brink
Assistant Public Printer for Security and Intelligent Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office
Ben Brink has almost 25 years of experience in venture capital and the management of high technology companies. In his current position with the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Mr. Brink leads the Security and Intelligent Documents Business Unit and guides the agency’s business in areas including the following: e-passports, smartcard e-IDs, public key infrastructure, electronic certificates for credentialing, and document transfer and authentication. He also guides the agency in numerous programs that produce both traditional security documents and those containing embedded electronics.
Mr. Brink has served as CEO of several companies in the software, defense electronics, and medical electronics industries. He holds a master’s of business from Harvard University, and a master’s in operations research and a bachelor’s in mathematics form Stanford University. He is also a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve and holds a master’s of strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Julien Carter
Associate Vice President for Human Resource Services,
The University of Texas at Austin
Julien Carter has 20 years of human resource experience, and currently serves as the associate vice president for Human Resource Services for The University of Texas at Austin. Some of Mr. Carter’s past assignments include being the associate vice president for Human Resources at the University or Louisville and the commissioner of Employee Relations for the State of Minnesota during the administration of Governor Jesse Ventura. In addition, he has provided human resources consulting services to public and private sector employers.
Mr. Carter holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Missouri–Columbia, a master’s degree in human resources from Truman State University, and bachelor’s degree in education from Missouri State University. He is also a former captain in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Ray Chambers
Chief Executive Officer,
Chambers Management Group
Ray Chambers is CEO of Chambers Management Group, an international consulting practice that delivers document management and organizational development solutions to decision makers in higher education. He has more than thirty years of experience managing and directing printing plants, copy centers, and award-winning document management facilities in higher education and government. He is a frequent speaker at events sponsored by IPMA, NACAS, Xplor, On-Demand, ACUP, and the Big 10 Printing Managers’ Conference on topics such as measuring print shop effectiveness, customer satisfaction, improving operational effectiveness, and team management.
Mr. Chambers is a certified graphic communications manager, and recently served as vice president and chief information officer at Juniata College. He holds a MBA, and is currently a doctoral candidate studying higher education administration at the Pennsylvania State University. His research interests include assessment of non-academic units, outsourcing in higher education and workforce development. He and his wife Catherine live near State College, Pennsylvania with their boxers Maggie and Gus.
Jean-Luc Devis
Director,
Washington State Department of Printing
Jean-Luc Devis has 25 years of experience in printing, publishing, and customer service, including 22 years of management experience in the private, public, and university sectors. Mr. Devis currently serves as director for the Washington State Department of Printing, a $34 million full-service operation that serves the entire state’s printing needs. He previously directed Printing and Mailing Services at both Oregon State University and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. In addition, he currently serves on the Advisory Board of In-Plant Graphics Magazine and is an active member of the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA).
Mr. Devis has spoken at conferences in the United States, Canada and New Zealand, sharing his clear perspective on the essential link between technical innovation and customer communication. He holds a degree in cartography from Ohio University, and has a strong background in customer service, strategic planning and new business development. He believes that marketing the in-plant is an essential aspect of customer service and a critical component of making the in-plant business sustainable.
Jim Hamilton
Group Director,
InfoTrends
As our keynote conference speaker, Jim Hamilton will share his more than 27 years of experience in the graphic arts and publishing industries with us. Mr. Hamilton currently serves as the group director for InfoTrends’ On Demand Printing & Publishing, Jetting Technology Opportunities, and Wide Format Printing Consulting Services. He has been with InfoTrends since 1995, and in his current position he conducts graphic arts market research, provides forecast analysis, supports the consulting service and custom consulting clients, and creates editorial content for product and market analysis reports.
Mr. Hamilton was the editor of InfoTrends’ book entitled The Print On Demand Opportunity. Prior to joining InfoTrends, he worked at Linotype-Hell as an applications analyst and author of the company’s Technical Information Series. He has also worked as a freelance graphic designer in the textbook publishing industry. Mr. Hamilton holds a master’s degree in printing technology from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and a bachelor’s degree in German from Amherst College.
Ken Macro
Assistant Professor of Graphic Communication,
California Polytechnic State University
Ken Macro is an assistant professor in the Graphic Communication Department at California Polytechnic State University. Mr. Macro specializes in print production management, marketing and sales, knowledge management, lean manufacturing, and training program development. He has an affinity for print history and printed incunabula, and is the faculty adviser for University Graphic Systems (UGS)—a student-managed, student-run printing enterprise on the Cal Poly campus. Prior to academia, he acquired a diverse background in the field, with positions at Reprographics, Mailing and Shipping Services at Cal Poly and The University of Akron, and Alltel Directories Publishing in Hudson, Ohio. He was also owner and president of a printing and copying business, and has worked in health care marketing and radio broadcasting.
Mr. Macro holds a master’s degree from the University of Akron and is currently a doctoral candidate in education and knowledge management at Walden University. He also holds an associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University.
Gary Williford
Retired Manager of Graphic Arts Service,
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Gary Williford recently retired from his position as manager of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s Graphic Arts Service department. Mr. Williford spent 30 years in the university’s in-plant, and devoted his last several years there to ensuring that Graphic Arts Service remains viable long after his retirement. He truly left his mark on the institution by initiating the merger of the in-plant and mailing department in 2004, and by upgrading its digital color capabilities in 2006 and 2007.
Colleagues in his field have called Mr. Williford an “inspiration,” “one of the industry’s finest craftsmen,” and a “true printer in every sense of the word.” He possesses invaluable insight on methods for improving quality while delivering the lowest possible prices to clients, and avoiding the need for outsourcing.
Rick Wise
Director of Printing Services,
University of Missouri–Columbia
Rick Wise has more than 31 years of experience in the document field, in both the public and private sectors. In his current position as director of Printing Services for the University of Missouri–Columbia, Mr. Wise manages the operations of the offset and digital toner printing in-plant as well as seven satellite printing centers around the university campus. He also managed a commercial printing company for thirteen years before coming to the university in 1989.
Mr. Wise holds a master’s of public administration degree and a bachelor’s of journalism from the University of Missouri. While at Printing Services he has served as an adjunct faculty member for three semesters, teaching courses in “The Graphics of Journalism” at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.