Tom Doherty, Principal
Tom Doherty has been widely recognized as a pioneer in the consumer electronics industry since 1978. After gaining experience working for several Indianapolis audio/video suppliers, Tom founded a company that launched the custom audio/video system installation category in 1985. Tom Doherty, Inc. quickly garnered a national reputation, positioning Tom to cofound the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA). Tom served as CEDIA’s first president from 1990 to 1992.

Tom went on to co-found one of the earliest digital media management companies, Escient, in 1996. Escient developed one of the first successful compact disc library management systems, which led to the acquisition of CDDB, the leader in CD text recognition. CDDB is now known by the brand Gracenote, and provides more than 90 percent of the world’s text recognition for music. Gracenote is also the exclusive provider of data for the iPod®.

Tom launched Doherty Design Group in 2003, after spending two years renovating his family home and installing a Lutron HomeWorks® system. Tom realized he was uniquely qualified to provide expert consultation related to all aspects of residential technology, including lighting design, lighting control, audio and video distribution, data and voice networks, security systems and complete control system integration. He is thrilled to be personally involved in every Doherty Design Group project, and finds his greatest satisfaction in helping clients realize their vision for their home.

Tom has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award (1998), the CEDIA lifetime achievement award (2001) and CE Pro magazine’s “Ten Most Influential Persons, Custom Electronics Industry” award (2004).

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Charlie Derk, Director of Technology
Charlie holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Moravian College and gained four years of valuable experience as a software engineer prior to graduation. During his senior year, he joined a start-up Internet service provider where he built and managed their network operations center.

Shortly after completing his education, Charlie joined Lutron Electronics as a software engineer and one of the lead software architects for the HomeWorks® product. Charlie was instrumental in successfully launching the product family in 1998, and continued as a lead engineer on the product until 2003. He went on to accept a role as Residential Regional Sales Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region, where he and his team consistently grew sales more than 15 percent each year. In 2005, Charlie returned to the engineering department at Lutron as a Product Manager for the Home Systems business unit, responsible for the HomeWorks®, RadioRA® and AuroRa® product families.

Charlie joined Doherty Design Group in 2007 to follow his passion for working directly with end users and creating world-class lighting control solutions. In Charlie’s current role as Director of Technology, he oversees all lighting control system designs. His intimate product knowledge enables Doherty Design Group to provide solutions that are simple to use, are aesthetically pleasing and enhance the experience of living in estate homes. His engineering background also allows him to monitor cutting-edge technology to ensure that Doherty Design Group specifies products that continuously set a new standard for quality, reliability and performance.