HETMA Presents...

The Road to 10K kicks off 2026 with a theme that hits right where higher ed AV/IT teams actually live: the calendar turns, the mission stays the same, and the real work is recommitting with fresh intention. Ryan Gray is joined by Atkins Fleming (Texas State University, HETMA Treasurer), Erin Maher-Moran (Johns Hopkins University, HETMA Chair), and Scott Sanders (Sennheiser) for a wide-ranging conversation about what New Year’s motivation looks like when your environment is moving faster than your planning cycles.

The group digs into the tension between short-term execution and long-term direction: quarterly realities vs five- an...

Dropping in the early days of January 2026, this “December 2025” edition intentionally looks backward before it looks ahead—using the turn of the year as a moment to reflect, reset, and reconnect. Instead of a single host monologue, the episode is built around community voice notes: real people sharing their biggest wins, challenges, and surprises from 2025. 

You’ll hear how relationships, volunteering, and mentorship show up as through-lines across wildly different roles and regions—plus what it looks like to turn hard seasons into forward motion. The episode closes with an open invitation: if you’ve got a win, challenge, su...

In this December episode of HETMA Presents… Chair to Chair, Erin Maher-Moran sits down with John Pfeffer from the University at Buffalo, chair of HETMA’s FlexSpace committee, to explore how a long-running learning space repository can evolve to meet the needs of a growing higher ed AV community. John traces his path from a small K–12 district to leading large-scale classroom technology strategy at SUNY’s University at Buffalo, including his early days running a course management system from a server under his desk and helping build the original technology taxonomy behind FlexSpace. He shares why keeping FlexSpace as an open...

For December’s theme of productive rest, HETMA brings a special crossover: a Big Think Thursday live stream from the HETMA Community feed, captured on Joe Way’s dock in sunny Southern California. Joe and AVNation’s Tim Albright dig into what it really looks like to rest on purpose when your calendar usually makes you wince. From learning to say no after 30 years of always saying yes, to hacking the Thanksgiving week for maximum recharge with minimal PTO, Tim shares how he protects his time and energy while still showing up for the industry. He also walks through how he app...

In this November edition of HETMA Presents… Chair to Chair, host Erin Maher-Moran sits down with HETMA Sponsorship Chair and UC Berkeley AV leader Matt Kaminski to explore the month’s theme: Pit Stop – Grounded Gratitude. Matt traces his unexpected path from ER, pediatrics, and labor-and-delivery nursing in France to becoming an Audio Visual and digital services leader in higher education at UC Berkeley, where he now steers AV and digital strategy for the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. Along the way, he talks about capital projects, AV over IP, Zoom rooms, and how HETMA became the community where...

Recorded live at Vanderbilt University, this month’s Road to 10K conversation dives into November’s theme: practicing gratitude. Ryan sits down with Dr. Joe Way (UCLA) and Brittany Grant (Aims Community College) to explore how failure, forgiveness, and community shape who we become – not just as AV/IT professionals, but as humans. They trace the origins of the Road to 10K initiative, reflect on HETMA’s rapid growth from “lightning in a bottle” to an established force in the industry, and unpack why authentic gratitude is so much harder – and more vulnerable – than the polite, surface-level kind.

Along the way, t...

Recorded on-site amid the bustle of the HETMA Nashville Roadshow at Vanderbilt University, this month’s roundtable trades polished studio quiet for real-world energy and candid conversation. Ryan sits down with Chris Kelly (Creighton University; HETMA Advisory Board Chair), Rebecca Wade (Igloo Vision), and Scott Ramsayer (Shure, Market Development) to ask a simple prompt with big implications: one year from now, what will feel genuinely different in higher-ed AV? The group wrestles with AI’s real value versus the hype, where automation helps (and where it doesn’t), and why human-centered assessment and experiential learni...

HETMA Board Chair and host Erin Maher-Moran sits down with Troy Powers, Vice Chair of HETMA and Director at Northwestern University, to trace his path from construction electrician to higher-ed AV leader, and why he believes education is the long-game solution to society’s toughest problems. Troy reflects on mission, basic research, and why higher ed doesn’t always get credit for world-changing innovations—then unpacks how he found his leadership lane inside HETMA. 
 
October’s theme, “Road Work Ahead: Handling Failure,” comes alive through Troy’s unvarnished recap of the rain-soaked Northwestern Roadshow—complete with floo...

In this episode, Erin Maher-Moran interviews Brittney Grant, the chair of HETMA's Approved Program Committee. Brittney shares her unexpected journey into higher education technology, which began with her involvement in high school theater and later at her church's tech team. After working in various fields like healthcare and manufacturing, she returned to live events. The COVID-19 pandemic led to her being one of three people running the entire venue. This experience, along with her role as the SGA’s VP of F&O at Aims Community College, helped her realize her passion for live events and process-oriented work. She applied fo...

Today on HETMA Presents..., Ryan sits down with David Lopez, Global Director of Education Strategy at ScreenBeam, to unpack how wireless display has evolved from a convenience feature to a core building block for learning spaces. David traces the roots from Intel WiDi and Miracast to today’s multi-OS reality (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome) and explains why standards-based casting still matters for scale, support, and security. From there, the discussion widens: what higher ed actually needs beyond “put your screen on the wall,” how to ensure a consistent user experience across rooms, and the operational wins when faculty aren’t fighti...

September’s Road to 10K digs into how positive, repeatable habits become the engine of team culture and performance. Host Ryan Gray is joined by Brian Shanks (Texas State University), Annie Foster (Washington and Lee University; HETMA Secretary), and Steve Greenblatt (Control Concepts) to swap practical frameworks: stacking habits so one triggers the next, using “alerts” to spot when you’re slipping, replacing the old “just get it done” reflex with “get it done right,” and gamifying quality through commissioning and scoring handoffs between integration and support. The group keeps outcomes at the center and treats process as a living system—iterated...

In this August edition of This Month in Higher Ed AV, host Ryan Gray is joined by Andy Vogel (The Ohio State University), Ann Kelly (UCLA), and Tim Neviska (Kenyon College) for a lively, insightful, and layered conversation about three timely pieces shaping the AV/IT landscape in higher education.

The panel opens with a discussion of “The Cloud Revolution in Pro AV: Why the Future is Software-Defined” by Richard Jonker, Vice President at NETGEAR Enterprise. The group digs into the implications of cloud-managed AV systems, the role of interoperability, and whether higher ed AV teams are ready—or wil...

In this August installment of HETMA Presents… Chair to Chair, Board Chair Erin Maher-Moran sits down with Membership Chair Tim Neviska of Kenyon College for an honest and uplifting conversation about professional growth, connection, and finding your place in higher ed AV. What starts as a chat about committee work quickly turns into a deeply relatable story about career pivots, introversion, and the quiet power of being seen.

Tim shares how he stumbled into AV from a DJ career, built a reputation as the go-to person at Kenyon College, and found his professional tribe in HETMA. The conversation is...

In this second installment of HETMA Presents… The Road to 10K, host Ryan Gray is joined by three incredible guests—Tim Albright (AVNation), Britt Yenser (Northampton Community College), and Chris Dieterich (Biamp)—to explore August’s theme: Merging Lanes – Connect to Grow. The conversation is personal, practical, and full of insight, emphasizing that growth doesn’t happen in isolation. Whether you’re building a network, stepping into mentorship, or learning to show up for others in meaningful ways, this episode will give you both encouragement and a push.

The guests share honest reflections about introversion, career shifts, and how networking...

This debut episode of This Month in Higher Ed AV kicks off a monthly panel discussion reviewing key content posted to Higher Ed AV Media. Host Ryan Gray is joined by Jon Gunzel of John A. Logan College, Renee Benson of Sony Professional Display Solutions, and Erin Maher-Moran, Chair of HETMA from Johns Hopkins University. Together, they explore major trends and insights shaping the higher ed AV landscape, all grounded in fresh articles and columns.

The discussion dives into HETMA’s Road to 10K membership growth ca...

In this inaugural installment of HETMA Presents… Chair to Chair, host Erin Maher-Moran, Chair of the HETMA Board of Directors, sits down with Chris Kelly of Creighton University and Advisory Boards Chair of HETMA. The conversation dives into Chris’s unique journey from social work and counseling into higher education technology, exploring how his early experiences shaped his leadership style and passion for building community.

Listeners will hear how advisory boards create meaningful connections between manufacturers and higher education institutions, why involvement is open to everyone—from entry-level techs to campus leaders—and how these co...

In the premiere episode of HETMA Presents, the leadership team kicks off the “Road to 10K” initiative with a candid, unscripted conversation about growth, purpose, and what success really looks like for the HETMA community. Host Ryan Gray is joined by Joe Way, BC Hatchett, and Troy Powers to explore the launch of HETMA’s new themed year—one focused not on sales or metrics, but on authentic personal and professional development across the higher ed AV vertical.
This month’s theme, “True North: The Future of You,” asks members to reflect on their mission, their goals, and the values that gu...