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Podcast dedicated to building the AV/IT tech manager community in higher education through discussions on classroom technology and audiovisual support.
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27 OCT 2026 · InfoComm América Latina 2026: Mexico City Recap
The HETMA experience at InfoComm América Latina can't be called anything but a huge success. Joe is back from Mexico City with a full recap of the 2026 show and this one exceeded every expectation.
In this episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe walks through HETMA’s week on the show floor, from an unexpectedly packed opening day and nonstop conversations at the HETMA booth to the Higher Education Summit, community-building happy hours, and the realization that there is a tremendous appetite for connection, education, and collaboration throughout Latin America.
With 665 booth scans in just three days, HETMA quickly discovered that the community wasn’t simply curious about what the organization does, people were actively looking for the kind of higher education technology community and knowledge-sharing network HETMA has built. Integrators, manufacturers, consultants, and higher ed professionals repeatedly brought colleagues to the booth, made introductions, and asked how HETMA could help build stronger communities of practice throughout the region.
Joe also recaps HETMA’s Higher Education Summit, featuring John from Alamo Colleges, Rodrigo from UCLA, and Chris from The Ohio State University, who shared how technology, support models, and learning spaces are evolving on their campuses. The conversation then expanded into an interactive discussion with attendees about AV-over-IP, remote monitoring, budgets, institutional challenges, and the similarities, and important differences, between higher education technology environments across Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, the United States, and beyond.
One of the biggest lessons of the week: Latin America is not one single market or culture. Each region has its own business practices, challenges, resources, and needs. HETMA’s role isn’t to arrive with a U.S.-based blueprint, but to help local leaders build their own communities while providing the platforms, resources, relationships, and support to help them succeed.
In this episode:
- Why InfoComm América Latina became one of Joe’s favorite industry events
- HETMA’s unexpectedly busy first day on the show floor
- How the HETMA booth became a community gathering place
- Why education was such a major part of the event
- What higher ed technology professionals across Latin America are asking for
- The importance of AV-over-IP, remote monitoring, and knowledge sharing
- Key differences Joe noticed between Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and other regional markets
- Why HETMA wants local leaders, not outsiders, driving future LATAM communities
- The success of HETMA’s Higher Education Summit
- Why the workshop discussions continued well beyond the scheduled session
- How Rodrigo, John, and Chris helped make the week such a success
- Why HETMA may explore future regional events and roadshows
- The moment other exhibitors started asking where HETMA’s booth would be next year
- HETMA’s plans to return to InfoComm América Latina 2027 with a larger island booth
- Why Joe believes this event has tremendous potential for AVIXA and the Latin American AV community
A huge thank you to AVIXA and the InfoComm América Latina team for creating an event that truly invested in the region, and to Rodrigo, John, and Chris for representing HETMA and serving the community throughout an incredibly busy week.
And to the 665 people who stopped by the HETMA booth: thank you. This is only the beginning. Visit HETMA.org to connect with the community and get involved with HETMA’s LATAM initiatives.
21 OCT 2026 · In this Higher Ed AV Podcast episode, Joe goes live from InfoComm América Latina to capture the energy, excitement, and instant reactions from opening day at the HETMA booth. Hear directly from our booth staff, attendees, exhibitors, and industry leaders as they share their first impressions of the show floor, the technologies catching their attention, and the conversations already shaping the week ahead. It’s a real-time look at what’s creating buzz, what’s surprising people, and what everyone is talking about as InfoComm América Latina gets underway.
Learn more about InfoComm América Latina:
Web: https://www.infocomm-americalatina.org/
20 OCT 2026 · In this episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe goes solo for a recap of the third annual **SAVe Global Conference**, held October 13–14 at UCLA.
After three years of hosting the conference, this year felt different. The conversation around sustainability in AV is maturing — moving beyond awareness and good intentions toward measurable action, collaboration, procurement decisions, and real accountability.
Joe walks through the conference sessions, shares some of the biggest ideas that stood out, and reflects on what higher education can do to help drive meaningful change across the AV industry.
In This Episode:
The conference opened with a series of keynote conversations exploring sustainability from several different perspectives — from AV manufacturing and global events to population health, materials science, electronic waste, procurement, and the environmental impact of the technology we deploy.
One of the major themes was the growing responsibility of manufacturers to think beyond the product itself. Packaging, shipping, materials, energy consumption, recycling, supply chains, product lifecycle, and end-of-life planning are all becoming part of the sustainability conversation.
Joe also shares highlights from his students' sustainability research, including their work examining procurement practices, SAVe certification, and how higher education institutions can use research and data to influence technology decisions on campus.
Collaboration Changes Everything:
Across the conference, one idea continued to surface:
**Sustainability cannot happen in a silo.**
Higher education technology teams need to work alongside facilities, procurement, manufacturers, integrators, industry associations, nonprofits, and other institutions.
The conference included conversations around:
- Sustainable manufacturing and the role manufacturers can play in reducing environmental impact
- SAVe certification and creating measurable sustainability practices
- Partnerships between nonprofits and industry organizations
- How universities can leverage their purchasing power to influence manufacturers
- Adding sustainability expectations to RFPs and procurement processes
- Extending the useful life of AV technology
- Finding new homes for equipment instead of automatically sending it to waste
- Balancing innovation and standardization with responsible technology lifecycle management
- Identifying institutional policies that may unintentionally prevent reuse or sustainable practices
Are We Innovating Too Quickly?
One of the most thought-provoking conversations came during the higher education sustainability discussion featuring representatives from institutions including Bard College, Northwestern, and USC.
Higher education loves innovation. We want the newest classrooms, newest platforms, and newest technology.
But that raises an important question:
**Does innovation always require replacing technology that still works?**
The group explored ways institutions can continue advancing technology while also becoming better stewards of existing equipment — including reuse, redistribution, partnerships with other schools, and developing better institutional processes for extending the life of AV systems.
Higher Education Has More Influence Than We Think:
Universities purchase technology at enormous scale.
That gives higher education tremendous potential to influence the AV industry.
What happens if sustainability becomes part of every RFP?
What happens if institutions begin asking manufacturers about packaging, supply chains, product lifecycle, repairability, energy use, recycling, and end-of-life strategies before making purchasing decisions?
When institutions begin asking those questions consistently, sustainability moves from being an industry talking point to becoming a business requirement.
The Big Takeaway:
After three years of the SAVe Global Conference, Joe's biggest takeaway is simple:
It is no longer enough to say sustainability matters.
We have to build it into the way we operate.
That means asking better questions, examining our own practices, challenging existing policies, working across organizational boundaries, and partnering with others who share the same goals.
And perhaps most importantly, it means recognizing that no single institution, manufacturer, integrator, association, or nonprofit is going to solve the problem alone.
**Real change happens when we stop working in silos and start working as a community.**
Coming Up:
More content from the SAVe Global Conference will be released through SAVe, including recordings of the keynote sessions.
13 OCT 2026 · What happens when an architecture student gets dropped into the middle of an AV/IT organization that is looking to modernize spaces two decades forward? In this episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way sits down with UCLA Master of Architecture student Taha Jamshidi to talk about the increasingly important intersection between architecture, technology, and the spaces where people learn. Taha shares how his work with UCLA Digital Spaces has given him a behind-the-scenes look at everything required to create a modern classroom, from BIM modeling and construction documentation to renderings, infrastructure planning, accessibility, and the technology that ultimately makes the space work.
The conversation dives deep into the work that happens long before anyone hangs a display or installs a camera. Taha explains how the team documents existing spaces, builds digital twins in Revit, develops floor plans, elevations, sections, reflected ceiling plans, and highly realistic visualizations before a project ever reaches construction. That early planning becomes the foundation for everything that follows. For Taha, working alongside AV engineers and technology professionals has also changed the way he thinks as an architect. Technology can no longer be something added to a building after the design is complete. Power, network infrastructure, cameras, audio, displays, accessibility, and the user experience all have to be considered as part of the architecture itself.
Taha also shares one of his favorite projects: designing and 3D printing a custom mounting solution for UCLA's classroom credenza system that accommodates Catchbox charging equipment without sacrificing ventilation, strength, usability, or aesthetics. What sounds like a small problem becomes a perfect example of the innovation mindset behind great AV. Rather than waiting for a manufacturer to create something, the team identified a problem, modeled a solution, fabricated it, tested it, refined it, and ultimately deployed something that looks like it belonged in the original product. Taha connects that same problem-solving approach to his architecture experience, including an internship in Tokyo with renowned architect Shigeru Ban.
The episode also celebrates Taha receiving an AVIXA Foundation scholarship and explores how his growing AV knowledge is influencing the kind of architect he hopes to become. From projection mapping and digital signage to experiential environments and AI-enabled learning spaces, Taha sees technology as an essential part of the human experience inside a building. The conversation ultimately becomes about more than classrooms or AV systems. It is about collaboration, patience, iteration, and appreciating the enormous amount of unseen work required to create something that feels effortless when people finally use it. For AV professionals, architects, students, and anyone designing the next generation of learning spaces, Taha offers a valuable reminder: the best experiences are created when architecture and technology are designed together from the very beginning.
Connect with Taha Jamshidi:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamshidi-taha/
6 OCT 2026 · The Higher Ed AV Podcast went on the road to #EDUCAUSE26 in Denver, Colorado, with three special “Live from #EDUCAUSE26” episodes and "Best of #EDUCAUSE26" recorded directly on the show floor at the HETMA booth. Joe capturing the conversations, ideas, and energy happening in real time through commentary and attendee quick-hit interviews. Each episode brings together voices from across higher education to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping our campuses right now, including those who work in AV, cybersecurity, organizational partnerships, enterprise, and more.
369: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 1
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: John Palaszynski, Gude Systems
Guest: Amy Moore, SUNY & University at Buffalo
Guest: Megan Duncan-Jones, California State University, Northridge
Guest: Ron Epstein, Epiphan Video
Guest: Jay Lyons, Logitech
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
370: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 2
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Erin Maher-Moran, Johns Hopkins University & HETMA
Guest: Katherine Carney, 1EdTech
Guest: Andrew Sedillo, New Mexico State University Global Campus
Guest: Roberto Colon, Epson
Guest: Leah Lang, EDUCAUSE
Guest: Kim Arnold, EDUCAUSE
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
371: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 3
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Ryan Gray, Yavapai College & Higher Ed AV Media
Commentary: EDUCAUSE Top 10
Guest: Teddy Murphy, University of Pikeville & HETMA
Guest: Gentry Seely, Rapid7
Guest: Mark McCormack, EDUCAUSE
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
372: Best of #EDUCAUSE26
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Calvin Thorbourne III, Emory University
Guest: Max McKenna, National Cybersecurity Alliance
Guest: Dan Gohl, HP
Guest: Mark Smith, CDW
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
6 OCT 2026 · The Higher Ed AV Podcast went on the road to #EDUCAUSE26 in Denver, Colorado, with three special “Live from #EDUCAUSE26” episodes and "Best of #EDUCAUSE26" recorded directly on the show floor at the HETMA booth. Joe capturing the conversations, ideas, and energy happening in real time through commentary and attendee quick-hit interviews. Each episode brings together voices from across higher education to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping our campuses right now, including those who work in AV, cybersecurity, organizational partnerships, enterprise, and more.
369: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 1
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: John Palaszynski, Gude Systems
Guest: Amy Moore, SUNY & University at Buffalo
Guest: Megan Duncan-Jones, California State University, Northridge
Guest: Ron Epstein, Epiphan Video
Guest: Jay Lyons, Logitech
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
370: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 2
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Erin Maher-Moran, Johns Hopkins University & HETMA
Guest: Katherine Carney, 1EdTech
Guest: Andrew Sedillo, New Mexico State University Global Campus
Guest: Roberto Colon, Epson
Guest: Leah Lang, EDUCAUSE
Guest: Kim Arnold, EDUCAUSE
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
371: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 3
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Ryan Gray, Yavapai College & Higher Ed AV Media
Commentary: EDUCAUSE Top 10
Guest: Teddy Murphy, University of Pikeville & HETMA
Guest: Gentry Seely, Rapid7
Guest: Mark McCormack, EDUCAUSE
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
372: Best of #EDUCAUSE26
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Calvin Thorbourne III, Emory University
Guest: Max McKenna, National Cybersecurity Alliance
Guest: Dan Gohl, HP
Guest: Mark Smith, CDW
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
6 OCT 2026 · The Higher Ed AV Podcast went on the road to #EDUCAUSE26 in Denver, Colorado, with three special “Live from #EDUCAUSE26” episodes and "Best of #EDUCAUSE26" recorded directly on the show floor at the HETMA booth. Joe capturing the conversations, ideas, and energy happening in real time through commentary and attendee quick-hit interviews. Each episode brings together voices from across higher education to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping our campuses right now, including those who work in AV, cybersecurity, organizational partnerships, enterprise, and more.
369: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 1
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: John Palaszynski, Gude Systems
Guest: Amy Moore, SUNY & University at Buffalo
Guest: Megan Duncan-Jones, California State University, Northridge
Guest: Ron Epstein, Epiphan Video
Guest: Jay Lyons, Logitech
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
370: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 2
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Erin Maher-Moran, Johns Hopkins University & HETMA
Guest: Katherine Carney, 1EdTech
Guest: Andrew Sedillo, New Mexico State University Global Campus
Guest: Roberto Colon, Epson
Guest: Leah Lang, EDUCAUSE
Guest: Kim Arnold, EDUCAUSE
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
371: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 3
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Ryan Gray, Yavapai College & Higher Ed AV Media
Commentary: EDUCAUSE Top 10
Guest: Teddy Murphy, University of Pikeville & HETMA
Guest: Gentry Seely, Rapid7
Guest: Mark McCormack, EDUCAUSE
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
372: Best of #EDUCAUSE26
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Calvin Thorbourne III, Emory University
Guest: Max McKenna, National Cybersecurity Alliance
Guest: Dan Gohl, HP
Guest: Mark Smith, CDW
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
6 OCT 2026 · The Higher Ed AV Podcast went on the road to #EDUCAUSE26 in Denver, Colorado, with three special “Live from #EDUCAUSE26” episodes and "Best of #EDUCAUSE26" recorded directly on the show floor at the HETMA booth. Joe capturing the conversations, ideas, and energy happening in real time through commentary and attendee quick-hit interviews. Each episode brings together voices from across higher education to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping our campuses right now, including those who work in AV, cybersecurity, organizational partnerships, enterprise, and more.
369: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 1
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: John Palaszynski, Gude Systems
Guest: Amy Moore, SUNY & University at Buffalo
Guest: Megan Duncan-Jones, California State University, Northridge
Guest: Ron Epstein, Epiphan Video
Guest: Jay Lyons, Logitech
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
370: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 2
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Erin Maher-Moran, Johns Hopkins University & HETMA
Guest: Katherine Carney, 1EdTech
Guest: Andrew Sedillo, New Mexico State University Global Campus
Guest: Roberto Colon, Epson
Guest: Leah Lang, EDUCAUSE
Guest: Kim Arnold, EDUCAUSE
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
371: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 3
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Ryan Gray, Yavapai College & Higher Ed AV Media
Commentary: EDUCAUSE Top 10
Guest: Teddy Murphy, University of Pikeville & HETMA
Guest: Gentry Seely, Rapid7
Guest: Mark McCormack, EDUCAUSE
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
372: Best of #EDUCAUSE26
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV Media
Guest: Calvin Thorbourne III, Emory University
Guest: Max McKenna, National Cybersecurity Alliance
Guest: Dan Gohl, HP
Guest: Mark Smith, CDW
Producer: Chris Kelly, Creighton University & Higher Ed AV Media
29 SEP 2026 · Higher Ed AV Podcast
Episode 368
Being the Resource with Chris Harshfield
What does good classroom support look like when your team is responsible for hundreds of spaces, faculty need help before class starts, and every department has its own priorities? In this episode, Joe Way talks with Chris Harshfield, classroom technology support manager at The Ohio State University, about the work that makes a classroom feel simple to the person teaching in it.
Chris began at Ohio State as a student technician and has spent more than fifteen years helping its classroom support program grow. He walks through a typical morning: reviewing overnight tickets, following up on issues found during room checks, arranging technician visits, and meeting instructors who need a quick technology overview before class. His team checks every classroom it supports each week, with evening technicians working through a queue of follow-ups they call “additional duties.” The queue may refill the next day, but catching a troublesome input or wireless display issue before it interrupts a class is the point.
Joe and Chris also dig into the relationship between central AV teams and academic departments. At Ohio State, departments can work with the central team on classroom systems and choose tier-one support. The resulting rooms use familiar controls and operate much like centrally managed classrooms. For faculty moving between buildings, that consistency matters more than knowing which group owns the equipment. Chris explains how the team makes space for specific requests while keeping systems supportable long after installation.
The conversation then turns to InfoComm América Latina, where Chris will join HETMA in Mexico City. He and Joe discuss what it means to enter a new community with useful experience and a willingness to listen. Chris wants to ask local higher ed AV professionals what is working, where they are struggling, and what kind of support or connection would be valuable. For both of them, success means meeting people who want to keep building that community together after the event.
Along the way, they compare how classroom technology and support have changed over fifteen years, from paper records and VHS tests to shared online maintenance tools, digital systems, and cameras and microphones in every classroom. The rapid round brings the conversation back to Columbus, campus traditions, favorite food and travel stops, and Chris’s latest hobby: 3D printing a full set of Mandalorian armor.In this episode:
- What a day of classroom support looks like at Ohio State
- Why weekly room checks and technician follow-ups matter
- How central teams can serve departments while giving faculty a familiar experience
- Where to draw the line between standard systems and special requests
- Why the cost of a unique installation includes years of support
- How Chris’s support model has changed over fifteen years
- What Joe and Chris hope to learn at InfoComm América Latina
Connect with Chris Harshfield:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-harshfield-6aba67225/
Email: mailto:harshfield.6@osu.edu
Learn more about InfoComm América Latina:
Web: https://www.infocomm-americalatina.org/en
22 SEP 2026 · After a run of roadshows, live recordings, InfoComm episodes, and special series, the Higher Ed AV Podcast gets back to its roots with a great one-on-one conversation. Joe is joined by Calvin Thorbourne III, AV Specialist at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, for a conversation that moves naturally between higher education AV, live production, house of worship, career transitions, and the relationships that hold all of it together. Calvin shares his journey from the music industry and Universal Music Group into church production and eventually higher education, showing how staying open to opportunities can lead somewhere you never expected.
Calvin and Joe dig into the unique intersection of classroom technology and live production. Supporting a classroom may mean helping a faculty member navigate a system moments before class begins, while supporting a chapel service means solving problems immediately because the event is already happening. Through both, Calvin has developed a philosophy centered on preparation, excellence, and service. The technology may be important, but the real job is helping the person standing on the other side of the problem. As Joe puts it during the conversation, sometimes you have not really solved the problem until you have solved the person.
The conversation also gets wonderfully technical as two former live-production guys compare old-school signal flow with modern networked AV. XLR snakes, digital consoles, Crestron, Q-SYS, control systems, cloud platforms, and the sometimes uncomfortable transition from physically tracing a cable to following signals across a network all make an appearance. Calvin also talks about the impact HETMA and the Prism Scholarship have had on his professional development, giving him access to mentors, peers, education, and a community where asking questions is encouraged. That willingness to admit what you do not know, learn from people around you, and keep developing becomes another major theme of the episode.
Then Calvin delivers one of the most memorable rapid-round monologues yet. His message is simple: give people grace, and give yourself some too. We rarely know everything happening in someone else’s life, and assuming the worst only adds stress that does not need to exist. The same applies inwardly. Strive for excellence, prepare well, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward, but recognize that perfection was never the standard. From AV troubleshooting to career changes to Atlanta restaurants, college traditions, golf, East Coast versus West Coast hip-hop, and even how to eat an elephant one bite at a time, this is exactly the kind of conversation that reminds us why the Higher Ed AV community is about far more than technology.
Connect with Calvin Thorbourne III:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinthe3rd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caltiii/
Podcast dedicated to building the AV/IT tech manager community in higher education through discussions on classroom technology and audiovisual support.
Information
| Author | Joe Way, PhD, CTS |
| Organization | Higher Ed AV Media |
| Categories | Education , Technology , Entrepreneurship |
| Website | www.spreaker.com |
| joe@josiahway.com |
Copyright 2026 - Spreaker Inc. an iHeartMedia Company
