In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, recorded live in Vancouver, ACM SIGGRAPH Membership and Communications Chair Barb Helfer sits down with Mk Haley, recipient of the 2025 ACM SIGGRAPH Outstanding Service Award. From her beginnings as a Student Volunteer to leadership roles as program chair, conference chair, and now incoming chair of Real-Time Live! at SIGGRAPH 2026, Mk reflects on a career dedicated to innovation, education, and community. Hear her story, her passion for service, and her vision for the future of SIGGRAPH.
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About Our Guests
Barb Helfer has contributed to ACM SIGGRAPH in many ways as a volunteer including as a member of the Executive Committee, the Education Committee, and is the ACM SIGGRAPH Membership and Communications Chair.
MK Haley has been a driving force within ACM SIGGRAPH and the computer graphics community for more than three decades. A member since 1989, she began her journey with the SIGGRAPH Education Committee, serving as SPACE Art Show Chair and co-editor of the committee’s newsletter. She later held roles as ACM SIGGRAPH Director of Communications and helped launch the Frontiers Program, now a permanent part of the annual conference.
Mk’s deepest impact has been through the SIGGRAPH Conference. She has served as Student Volunteer Chair, Emerging Technologies Chair, and Conference Chair, and will lead Real-Time Live! at SIGGRAPH 2026. Along the way, she has mentored countless students, guided the evolution of the Student Volunteer Program, and helped shape the Emerging Technologies Program into a signature part of the conference.
Her career reflects a commitment to innovation, mentorship, and community that continues to inspire the next generation of professionals.
