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HETMA Presents...

HETMA Presents...

Written by: Higher Ed AV Media
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 Monthly features from the HETMA community.HETMA Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Chair to Chair Special Episode: Joe Way

    Chair to Chair Special Episode: Joe Way
    Jan 22 2026
    In this special edition of Chair to Chair, Erin Maher-Moran sits down with Joe Way (UCLA; HETMA co-founder; Higher Ed AV Media founder) to unpack two major recognitions: induction into SCN’s Hall of Fame and inclusion in a Top 100 innovators and entrepreneurs list. Joe frames the awards as bigger than personal accolades—signals that higher ed AV’s voice is increasingly being treated as a peer in the wider industry, and a reminder of how much progress the community has made in earning its seat at the table.

    From there, the conversation turns into an honest reflection on what innovation actually looks like in practice: taking risks, learning business fundamentals, leveraging relationships, and building teams with complementary strengths. Joe also digs into mentorship, trust, and legacy—why doors get held open, why people still have to walk through them, and why the most meaningful impact is measured in the people who grow beyond your shadow. The episode closes with Joe’s focus on a next chapter theme: letting go—not just delegating, but truly creating space for others to lead.

    Topics Discussed
    • What Joe’s SCN Hall of Fame recognition represents for higher ed AV’s standing in the broader industry
    • Why awards matter (and why they don’t), especially for credibility inside institutions
    • The role of timing, institutional context, and “stars aligning” in career growth
    • Joe’s approach to innovation: risk tolerance, iteration, and embracing failure as tuition
    • A blunt take on innovation in commercial AV and why that creates opportunity for leaders who push
    • Mentorship as intentional giving back—and as a long-term leadership multiplier
    • Building trust and loyalty: ambition, visibility, and genuine care for others’ success
    • Legacy in two places at once: UCLA transformation and community-wide influence through HETMA
    • HETMA’s evolution from a focused gap-filler to a durable organization that outgrows its founders
    • What’s next: letting go, creating bandwidth, and redirecting energy into lifting others up


    Join the conversation at community.hetma.org.

    Erin Maher-Moran
    Email: ErinMaherMoran@hetma.org
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-maher-moran/

    Joe Way
    Web: https://www.josiahway.com
    LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/josiahway
    X (Formerly Twitter): https://www.x.com/josiahway
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josiahway

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for new content every day.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • #RoadTo10K: January 2026: Start Your Engines

    #RoadTo10K: January 2026: Start Your Engines
    Jan 9 2026
    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- and ten-year roadmaps, stable standards vs best-in-class experiences, and the difference between working hard and actually moving forward. Along the way, they get practical about self-care as a professional responsibility (vacation time, boundaries, and culture), how feedback loops can become real KPIs, and why institutional values aren’t what a website says—they’re what leaders reward, fund, and tolerate when risk is involved. The month’s challenge is simple: don’t just start the engines—keep them tuned, aligned, and pointed at the goal.

    Topics Discussed
    • January theme framing: Start Your Engines, New Year’s, Same Goal — renewing intention without pretending the mission resets
    • How planning horizons are shrinking: yearlong goals vs quarter/semester realities
    • The micro/macro balance in higher ed: semester deliverables while still steering toward five- and ten-year outcomes
    • Institutional culture as a driver: why some teams prioritize stability and standards, and where innovation can safely live
    • The classroom expectation gap: student experience shaped by consumer tech and hospitality-style expectations
    • Trouble-free vs best-in-class: when standardization is the strategy and when raising the bar is the differentiator
    • Risk tolerance as the hidden switch: what happens when leaders say they want experimentation but punish failure
    • Continuous assessment: aligning to what leaders actually do (time, money, rewards, discipline), not just stated values
    • Performance management shifts: quarterly coaching conversations and the role of ongoing one-on-ones
    • Self-care and boundaries as leadership work: scheduling time off proactively, protecting time away, and building redundancy so nobody is “the only one”


    Keep the conversation going in the HETMA Community: community.hetma.org

    Connect with Atkins Fleming
    • Email: atkins@txstate.edu
    • HETMA: treasurer@hetma.org

    Connect with Erin Maher-Moran
    • Email: ErinMaherMoran@hetma.org
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-maher-moran/

    Connect with Scott Sanders
    • Email: scott.sander@sennheiser.com

    Connect with Host (Ryan Gray)
    • Email: editor@higheredav.com
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    • Website: www.HigherEdAV.com

    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for new content every day.
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    45 mins
  • HETMA Presents... This Month in Higher Ed AV: December 2025

    HETMA Presents... This Month in Higher Ed AV: December 2025
    Jan 2 2026
    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, surprise, or “here’s what I learned” moment to share, send in a voice note and keep the conversation rolling into the new year.

    Topics Discussed
    • Year-end reflection as a professional practice (not just a calendar habit)
    • Relationships as the real work that underpins everything else
    • Getting involved in community: raising your hand and finding your lane
    • Stretching outside your comfort zone as a growth strategy
    • Manufacturer/campus partnerships as a two-way ecosystem
    • Turning challenges into clarity and progress
    • Building new systems and capabilities on campus (and what it takes)
    • Recognition, awards, and what they represent beyond the trophy
    • Mentorship, collaboration, and support as a professional “infrastructure”
    • Road to 10K energy: growing the community by amplifying more voices

    Join the conversation (and share your perspective) at community.hetma.org.

    Want to be featured on a future episode? Send in a voice note via the widget on HigherEdAV.com.

    Host: Ryan Gray
    editor@higheredav.com
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
    www.HigherEdAV.com


    This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for new content every day.
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    17 mins
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