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  • 135: The Managing Editor with Chris Kelly

    135: The Managing Editor with Chris Kelly
    Apr 29 2026
    Chris Kelly returns to The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast for a conversation about media, volunteerism, accessibility, and what it means to help amplify voices across the higher education AV community. Chris, Senior IT Support Specialist at Creighton University, HETMA Advisory Board Chair, and newly announced Managing Editor for Higher Ed AV Media, talks with host Ryan Gray about how his deep engagement with higher ed AV content eventually turned into a larger role helping shape, edit, and support the platform itself.

    This episode is also a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep a volunteer-driven media ecosystem alive. Ryan and Chris talk about the difference between polished corporate media and authentic peer-to-peer storytelling, the importance of making content creation less intimidating, and the many ways people can contribute without needing to be a professional writer, podcaster, or media personality. From accessibility and DEI to event recaps, campus profiles, content intake forms, and the search for a clear Higher Ed AV Media tagline, the conversation is ultimately an invitation for more people to step in, share what they know, and help tell the stories of the community.

    Topics Discussed
    • Chris Kelly returning as a standalone guest on The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast
    • Chris’s role as Managing Editor for Higher Ed AV Media
    • His claim to having consumed nearly the full Higher Ed AV Media podcast catalog
    • The value of being a voracious listener and reader before helping shape content
    • Why accessibility helped pull Chris deeper into the media side of the work
    • How volunteer organizations create opportunities for people who step forward
    • Ways people can contribute without needing to be the face of a podcast or article
    • The difference between authentic peer content and polished corporate media
    • Why Higher Ed AV Media needs a clear slogan or tagline
    • Chris’s Empowered by Design column and the challenge of writing regularly


    Connect with Chris
    content@hetma.org
    content@higheredav.com
    Creighton University
    HETMA Advisory Board Chair
    Managing Editor, Higher Ed AV Media

    Connect with Ryan
    @Ryan_A_Gray
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    ryan@higheredav.com

    Show Links
    Higher Ed AV Media: https://www.higheredav.com
    HETMA: https://www.hetma.org
    HETMA Community: https://community.hetma.org

    Voiceover by Chris Dechter

    Have feedback or guest ideas? Let us know!

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!
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    35 Min.
  • 134: They Don't Sit in the Classroom Like I Do with Mike McHugh

    134: They Don't Sit in the Classroom Like I Do with Mike McHugh
    Apr 1 2026
    Mike McHugh is back for Part 2, and this half of the conversation opens up into something bigger than a technical discussion. Ryan and Mike talk about what it really takes to stay current in a field that never stops moving, from relying on trusted partners and professional communities to making room, when possible, for demos, articles, and the constant work of learning. They also dig into AV over IP, not as a buzzword or blanket answer, but as one tool among many that has to be weighed against cost, scale, reliability, and the real needs of a particular space.

    From there, the episode shifts into another side of Mike’s work that says a lot about who he is. In addition to his role in ITS media at Goshen University, he has spent years teaching first year students in courses centered on identity, community, career, and calling. That teaching experience has given him a different kind of credibility when talking with faculty and administrators about learning spaces, and it also reveals the throughline in Mike’s approach to the job: thoughtful service, lived experience, and a willingness to keep growing. The conversation closes with a glimpse into an upcoming May term in Maui, where Mike will lead students in a recovery focused learning experience connected to rebuilding efforts in Lahaina.

    Topics Discussed
    • How Mike stays current as technology, standards, and expectations keep changing
    • The value of trusted integrators, dealers, webinars, forums, and professional organizations
    • Why carved out time for professional learning is hard to protect
    • How Goshen University is thinking about AV over IP on a room by room basis
    • Why “future proofing” often turns out to be more like “future delaying”
    • The difference between how spaces are imagined in design meetings and how they are actually used
    • Why relationships and institutional trust matter so much in design and renovation work
    • Mike’s role teaching first year students in Goshen’s required core curriculum
    • How teaching has strengthened his credibility with faculty and administrators
    • Mike’s upcoming May term in Maui tied to disaster recovery work in Lahaina
    Connect with Mike
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecsm/

    Connect with Ryan
    @Ryan_A_Gray
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    ryan@higheredav.com


    Voiceover by Chris Dechter

    Have feedback or guest ideas? Let us know!

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!
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    32 Min.
  • 133: It Might Just Be Future Mike with Mike McHugh

    133: It Might Just Be Future Mike with Mike McHugh
    Mar 25 2026
    In Episode 133 of AV/IT Amplifier, Ryan Gray talks with Mike McHugh of Goshen College about what it means to build a career, and a legacy, at a small institution where everybody knows everybody and the work is always personal. Mike shares what it has been like to spend more than two decades at a 900 student college in northern Indiana, doing everything from classroom technology support and system design to campus events, athletic streaming, video, and recording. The conversation gets at something a lot of higher ed AV people will recognize right away: when the school is small, the team is small, and the mission is clear, the job becomes a constant balancing act between capacity, creativity, relationships, and service.

    What makes this episode especially strong is how naturally it moves between practical AV work and the deeper human side of the profession. Mike talks about revisiting systems he built decades earlier, realizing that the “future somebody” who has to deal with those decisions might just be him. He reflects on community, consistency, and stepping into new ways of contributing, from running for leadership in ETC to helping bring stability and follow through to The AV Life. This is a conversation about institutional memory, saying yes when students are at the center of the ask, and what it looks like to keep showing up for the long haul.

    Topics Discussed
    • Working in higher ed AV at a small private college
    • Wearing multiple hats across classrooms, events, athletics, and media
    • How small campus culture changes the way AV work gets done
    • The upside and pressure of being known across an institution
    • Revisiting and replacing systems you built years earlier
    • The difference between building for “future somebody” and building for “future Mike”
    • Finding professional community through ETC, HETMA, and Higher Ed AV Media
    • Moving from membership to leadership in professional organizations
    • What consistency and follow through mean in media and podcast production
    • How behind the scenes contributions create visible results
    Connect with Mike
    LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecsm/

    Connect with Ryan
    @Ryan_A_Gray
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    ryan@higheredav.com

    Voiceover by Chris Dechter

    Have feedback or guest ideas? Let us know!

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!
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    31 Min.
  • Special: HETMA Presents... Live Keynote from the HETMA Virtual Conference

    Special: HETMA Presents... Live Keynote from the HETMA Virtual Conference
    Feb 25 2026
    Recorded live as the Friday keynote on Day 3 of the HETMA Virtual Conference, this AV/IT Amplifier crosspost pulls a fast moving hybrid conversation from sister show HETMA Presents, combining #Roadto10K and This Month in Higher Ed AV into one session.

    Host Ryan Gray is joined by Britt Yenser, Tim Van Woeart, and Gina Sansivero to unpack the month’s community theme, Time to Level Up, and get specific about what leveling up actually looks like in real careers, real teams, and real life.

    The first half is personal and practical: leadership shifts, classroom design growth, mentoring, self awareness about learning styles, and the uncomfortable reality that documentation and continuity can feel emotional because it forces us to admit we will not be in the role forever.

    The second half pivots into a timely industry conversation sparked by a UK trade piece that framed education AV spend as wasteful and trend driven, followed by an AVWeek discussion and a HETMA board response op ed. The panel digs into why the framing landed as dismissive, why collapsing K 12 and higher ed into one story produces bad conclusions, and why higher ed AV decisions are shaped by governance, accessibility, security, procurement, and lifecycle realities, not shiny object chasing.


    Articles Discussed:

    Original article: https://www.avinteractive.com/news/systems-design-integration/are-educational-institutions-wasting-their-money-on-av-14-01-2026/

    Discussion on AVWeek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FLQnVhkwlA

    HETMA response op ed: https://www.avnation.tv/2026/02/04/oped-higher-ed-is-not-wasting-money-on-av-but-we-are-tired-of-being-talked-down-to/

    Join the conversation at community.hetma.org

    Host: Ryan Gray
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/

    Panel:

    Britt Yenser
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britt-yenser/

    Tim Van Woeart
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-van-woeart-cts-45416826/

    Gina Sansivero

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-sansivero/

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for new content every day.
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    58 Min.
  • 132: The AV Nerd with Tom Segers

    132: The AV Nerd with Tom Segers
    Feb 18 2026
    Ryan is back on the ISE 2026 show floor for Part 2 with Tom Segers, an AV professional supporting Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Belgium across multiple campuses. Tom shares what it looks like when a hobby becomes a career, and why being detail minded is not just a personality trait, it is survival in higher ed AV.

    From WhatsApp culture in Europe to the very real complexity of LED walls, 4K workflows, and teacher friendly BYOD realities, this episode stays practical and human. It ends on a simple truth that will feel familiar to anyone in our line of work: if nobody is calling, that might be the best news you get all week.

    Topics Discussed
    • Supporting seven campuses with a small AV team
    • When your hobby becomes your job
    • The value and downside of being detail minded
    • Communication habits and coordination in Europe
    • WhatsApp as an operational tool at events
    • What it really takes to make an LED wall succeed in teaching spaces
    • Power, input, and workflow surprises with LED deployments
    • The gap between BYOD policy and BYOD reality
    • Duplicate vs extend mode issues in real classrooms
    • Why lack of complaints can be a success metric in AV
    Connect with Tom Segers:
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-segers-19b89676/

    Connect with Ryan
    @Ryan_A_Gray
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    ryan@higheredav.com

    Voiceover by Chris DechterHave feedback or guest ideas? Let us know!

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!
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    29 Min.
  • 131: Work Together To Make Some Difference with Tom Segers

    131: Work Together To Make Some Difference with Tom Segers
    Feb 11 2026
    Recorded live at the HETMA booth on the show floor of ISE 2026, Ryan sits down with Belgium based higher ed AV leader Tom Segers from Thomas More University of Applied Sciences. They talk about what it looks like to support AV at scale with a tiny central team across multiple campuses, and why global community matters when higher education needs a louder voice in an industry that often defaults to corporate assumptions.

    Tom also shares a Europe specific lens that will feel immediately relevant to US listeners: multilingual collaboration, privacy expectations for students on camera, and why audio quality becomes the make or break layer in hybrid learning. The conversation lands on the practical reality we all live in, construction timelines and technology timelines never line up, so staying connected and learning from peers is not a nice to have, it is survival.

    Topics Discussed
    • Running AV services for 20,000 students with a three person expert team
    • Multi campus support challenges, travel time, local support structures
    • Finding HETMA through EDUCAUSE connections and building community infrastructure
    • Why higher ed needs collective leverage with manufacturers
    • English as the shared language at global AV events
    • Talking to R and D on the show floor, why it matters more than sales conversations
    • Hybrid and connected classroom momentum since the pandemic
    • Student privacy expectations in Europe and what that changes operationally
    • Audio as the most important, most expensive layer in hybrid rooms
    • Funding models and lifecycle planning for refresh and replacement

    Connect with Tom Segers
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-segers-19b89676/
    Thomas More: https://thomasmore.be/en

    Connect with Ryan
    @Ryan_A_Gray
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    ryan@higheredav.com

    Voiceover by Chris Dechter

    Have feedback or guest ideas? Let us know!

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!
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    29 Min.
  • 130: Catch You On The Flipside with Issac Abbs

    130: Catch You On The Flipside with Issac Abbs
    Jan 28 2026
    Isaac Abbs returns for week two and the conversation leans hard into the human side of senior leadership: how an introvert survives a job that demands constant presence, how you build buy in like a coach building a locker room, and how you create real moments of recognition when your team is the one taking the calls and absorbing the heat. Along the way, Isaac shares what he has learned about getting comfortable being uncomfortable, why delivery matters more than content when you are on stage, and why storytelling is the skill that makes the message land.

    It is also a Tucson flavored episode in the best way: Isaac’s path from California to Maine to the University of Arizona, a love letter to Fourth Avenue, and an extremely specific answer to the best sandwich question that will make every Tucson listener nod instantly. The wrap up lands with a leadership gut punch that comes up again and again on this show: the question people almost never ask leaders, even though it might be the one that matters most.

    Topics Discussed
    1. Introversion in extroverted leadership roles, and building the muscle to show up anyway
    2. Practice as the real unlock for public speaking and high visibility leadership
    3. Coaching mindset in IT leadership: vision, mission, trust, and buy in
    4. Defining wins in IT when the impact is often on everyone else, not you
    5. Creating intentional celebration rhythms: strategic plan reviews, win stories, and acknowledging the grind
    6. Customer service as a frontline reality, and why recognition needs to be specific and frequent
    7. Changing perspective on AI: from caution to strategic momentum, and the risk of falling behind
    8. Tucson culture check: Fourth Avenue, Bison Witches, and the U of A tournament memory lane
    9. The underrated power of storytelling in leadership communication
    10. The question leaders wish people asked more often: How are you doing, and meaning it

    Connect with Isaac Abbs
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-abbs

    Connect with Ryan
    @Ryan_A_Gray
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    ryan@higheredav.com

    Voiceover by Chris Dechter

    Have feedback or guest ideas? Let us know!

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!
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    28 Min.
  • 129: Trust Drips In and Pours Out with Isaac Abbs

    129: Trust Drips In and Pours Out with Isaac Abbs
    Jan 21 2026
    Ryan Gray is joined by Isaac Abbs, Chief Information Officer at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. Isaac walks through what the CIO role really demands in higher ed—leadership, clarity, and the ability to solve problems at a level that changes outcomes for the institution. He reflects on his career path (public sector to higher ed and back), why the CIO role appealed to him early, and what it means to lead technology in a way that helps people get somewhere they didn’t think was possible.

    From there, the conversation gets practical: the modern CIO job as a “people business,” the need for visibility and relentless communication, and how trust is built through responsiveness and relationships. They also dig into AV strategy and room experience—right-sizing classroom tech, avoiding “technology for technology’s sake,” and pushing for spaces that don’t require a manual. Zoom Rooms, simpler conference room experiences, and AV-over-IP as a path toward consistency and usability all come up as part of Isaac’s roadmap for making the experience smoother for faculty and staff.

    Topics Discussed
    • What Pima Community College looks like (scale, campuses, student profile)
    • Why Isaac aimed for the CIO role early
    • Career “boomerang” moves and returning with broader perspective
    • What the CIO role actually is day-to-day (and what people misunderstand)
    • Balancing executive demands with family life and burnout risk
    • CIO leadership as “people-first,” not tech-first
    • Being visible to earn a seat at decision tables
    • Communication as strategy: transparency, newsletters, responsiveness
    • “Easy button” room expectations and right-sizing classroom tech
    • Zoom Rooms + AV-over-IP as simplification and standardization levers
    Connect with Isaac Abbs
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-abbs

    Connect with Ryan
    @Ryan_A_Gray
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    ryan@higheredav.com

    Voiceover by Chris Dechter

    Have feedback or guest ideas? Let us know!

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!
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    31 Min.