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AV/IT Amplifier

AV/IT Amplifier

Written by: Ryan Gray
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About this listen

 Higher education institutions rely on audio-visual (AV) and information technology (IT) solutions as a key backbone for modern teaching and learning. The AV/IT industry plays a critical role in providing these solutions, and it is important to highlight the latest trends, innovations, and perspectives in this sector. The podcast “The AV/IT Amplifier” aims to fill this gap by featuring interviews with people from Higher Education Institutions and the AV/IT Industry who have an idea, concept, perspective, event or product that would be helpful or interesting to the target audience of higher education technology managers. The host of the podcast is Ryan Gray, Assistant Director of IT at Yavapai College.

“The AV/IT Amplifier” podcast will have a bi-monthly schedule with two recordings per month, each being split in half to provide for weekly episodes. Each episode will be targeted for 30 minutes to be about the length of an average commute. The first half of each recording will focus on the primary topic for that guest, while the second half will be a profile of the person.

The podcast will not only focus on technical topics but also on non-technical ones such as effective people management, pedagogy, community building, building a personal brand, career planning, professional development and other similar topics for our audience. The split episode format allows for a dive into the topic and the opportunity to get to know the person and perhaps draw the connections between why that topic is so important to that guest.

Ryan Gray Economics Management Management & Leadership Politics & Government
Episodes
  • 127: Don't Lose Yourself with Thomas Eastlack

    127: Don't Lose Yourself with Thomas Eastlack
    Jan 7 2026
    After a stretch of inconsistency, Ryan kicks off 2026 with a simple promise: the show is back, and the conversations are the fuel. In this in-person episode, he sits down with Thomas Eastlack, a familiar face at Yavapai College who recently moved from the IT service desk into a newly created role supporting HR technology.

    Thomas unpacks the shift from reactive “break/fix” work to proactive systems thinking—ticketing workflows, website iteration cycles, chatbot training, and the early push toward cloud-first habits. But the heart of the conversation is service: empathy, trust, and the mindset that keeps support work human even when the calls are repetitive. It’s also a candid look at imposter feelings, decision-making pressure, and what it means to grow into being “the expert” while staying grounded in who you are.

    Topics Discussed
    • Moving from service desk technician to HR IT lead analyst
    • Reactive support vs proactive process and systems improvement
    • Launching an HR ticketing system for routing, automation, and accountability
    • Website refresh realities: iterations, stakeholders, and “meeting in the middle”
    • Training and maintaining a website chatbot and early AI exposure
    • Shifting departments while staying collaborative with central IT
    • Empathy as a practical support skill (tone, language, and de-escalation)
    • Avoiding burnout and jadedness when the same problems repeat
    • Hiring for attitude and service mindset over day-one operational knowledge
    • Growth, purpose, and why Yavapai College is a place people stay

    Connect with Thomas
    Email – Thomas.Eastlack@yc.edu
    LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-eastlack/

    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!
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • 126: Wish You Were Asked? 2025

    126: Wish You Were Asked? 2025
    Dec 31 2025
    We close out 2025 with a listen back to some of our favorite guests this year and their answers to the questions they wish to be asked.

    Stay tuned for new episodes of The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast in 2026!

    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!
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • 125: RTM Higher Education Fall 2025

    125: RTM Higher Education Fall 2025
    Nov 12 2025
    Recorded on-site in Austin, this cross-conversation episode (in partnership with RTM Business Group’s Inside Innovation) brings together fast takes from the Fall Higher Education CIO Congress. We open with RTM’s Mica Spanos on how listening to practitioners—and getting them into the same room—drives a program that’s useful in a world that never quite calms down. Cole McFarren (University of Arizona Global Campus) shares the online-only perspective: the surprising value of “out-of-scope” sessions and the energy that comes from meeting peers face-to-face.
    Then Scott Smith (Director of Digital & Instructional Innovation) talks about blending IT with pedagogy, why “ready for prime time” matters, and the power of making technologists sit in classes (and instructional folks shadow techs). Dr. Angela Camaille (Delgado Community College) dives into professional development, authenticity, and the leadership strength of saying “I don’t know.” We close with Jess Awtrey (SVP, Boodleox) on AI infrastructure built for higher ed, governance in the “wild-west” phase, and Coach Mode as scaffolding for AI literacy.

    Topics Discussed
    • Why smaller, selective convenings (like RTM) produce higher-signal conversations
    • Programming by listening: building agendas around real campus problems
    • Online-only realities: what transfers (and what doesn’t) from brick-and-mortar
    • “Ready for prime time”: how one failed demo collapses adoption
    • Cross-shadowing: tech staff in classrooms, instructional staff with technicians
    • Professional development as table stakes, not a nice-to-have
    • Authentic leadership: psychological safety and the value of “I don’t know”
    • Community college lens: pedagogy for everyone, not just the already-prepared
    • AI infrastructure vs. a single tool: governance, privacy, equitable access
    • Coach Mode and AI literacy: meeting users where they are and leveling them up

    • Mica Spanos — LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mica-spanos-b980a81b0/
    • Cole McFarrin — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-mcfarren-7913b074/
    • Scott Smith LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottssmith/
    • Dr. Angela Camaille— LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-camaille-6823969a/
    • Jess Awtrey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-awtrey-4ba9a95/

    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!
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
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