IT in the D

Chris Watson, founder of EdLoop and a former Detroit teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal, joins us to talk about what happens after a student turns in their work. Chris explains how he’s using AI to close the gap between submitting an assignment and getting meaningful feedback, and why keeping teachers in control was a founding principle. The conversation covers the great AI-in-the-classroom debate, how a platform like this actually works behind the scenes, and what happens when the technology gets it wrong. We also explore what teachers, parents, and students gain when the data finally goes somewhere, along with a surprising story about how one teacher discovered the platform on her own.

This week, Matt Spivey returns (solo this time). He’s now CIO of Lakeview Veterinary Group and executive director of CIOs Against Cancer, Michigan chapter. He shares what it’s like to bring order to a business that grows by acquiring dozens of independent clinics, each with its own way of doing things. Along the way, he explains how he translates “blinking light” tech talk into business outcomes executives care about, and why his team spends time working the front desk. We also dig into where AI is showing up in an animal hospital, and Matt shares how his group has raised nearly $600,000 for cancer research. Then we ask Matt to build his dream team of people who could make any company a success, no matter what it sells. Plus, we announce the return of an IT in the D tradition we haven’t done in years.

This week, the CTO of Oakland County, Michigan, Jonathon Baugh, joins us to talk about what it’s like working in tech for local government. First, he explains the difference between his role—CTO—and the role of his boss, the CIO. Then, he tells us about meeting the needs of the various branches of the government, the measured pace of AI adoption, and collaboration with other local governments. He shares his experience transitioning to a government job and how he leverages his consulting skills to negotiate with others in the county government. What does it take to run technology for 1.3 million residents when you can’t simply tell anyone what to do?

This week’s guest is Shalece Daniels, the founder of Edge to Ease. She developed a Nervous System Reset Kit for managing stress and improving your mood. It can help with shares strategies for managing pressure, stress, burnout, decision-making, and nervous system regulation. She tells us about the best way to use each item in the kit, but she also shares with us things you can do on your own to get similar results. Her tips, tricks, and advice are especially great for the workplace, whether you are working hunched over at a computer all day, making back-to-back sales calls, or making major decisions.

In this episode, we sit down with Maria Haight, Global Information Security Officer at Joyson Safety Systems, to talk about security, governance, and AI. Maria shares her path in tech, and discusses the difficult shift from hands-on technologist to strategic leader. She also covers her community work with CIOs Against Cancer, the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT) gala, and SIM Detroit.

On security, she explains why recovery and resilience matter as much as defense and why AI-enabled phishing, fake IT and HR calls, and spoofed messages from the boss are getting harder to spot. We dig into AI governance, including whether AI agents should get their own identities, the cost reality of AI in 2026, and the data privacy and IP limits customers put in their contracts. We also take on vendor sprawl and bad sales demos, tech debt and shadow IT in manufacturing, and the looming threat of post-quantum encryption.

Help Maria and the Michigan Council of Women in Technology fundraise for Michigan women and girls in tech.

This week, Alec Bantel joined us to discuss his new app, ACTIQO that helps families organize their kids’ activities. We talk about what it takes to go from idea to launch, including user testing, hiring, and figuring out what people actually want versus what they say they want. The conversation also covers the realities of raising funding while staying rooted in Detroit, and why building locally matters more than chasing Silicon Valley.

Comedian J Chris Newberg has a show on September 18 at Royal Oak Music Theater. We talk for a bit about his comedy style, what’s on his bucket list, and other projects he’s worked on. He tells us what draws him back to Detroit and compares the local comedy scene to other cities.

He’s giving away two tickets to the show! Listen to find out how you can claim one.

Bob was super-excited for this guest! This week, we were joined by Matt Busch, artist, illustrator, filmmaker, YouTuber, professor, and entrepreneur. He’s worked on projects for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, and so many more. Check out his website to find out all about him: MattBusch.com. Matt tells us about his work as an illustrator, how he got started, his movie Aladdin 3277, his work as a professor, and lots more.

Jackie Lutz is back! She’s the Content Director at the Auto Care Association. We follow up on how the Right to Repair fight is going. She also tells us how things are going on the Auto Care ON AIR podcast, where she hosts Carpool Conversations.

This is a longer episode, but we had a lot of fun, even though we wandered off topic a few times.

Eddie Eadeh, CEO of E&E Tech is back, and we chat about cybersecurity practices, the future of enterprise IT, and Michigan’s economy. We discussed phishing simulations, identity management, and AI-related security incidents, along with predictions like 5G-connected devices, zero trust network access, and passkeys replacing passwords. We wrapped up by comparing Detroit’s economic diversification to cities like Austin and Chicago and Michigan’s reliance on the auto industry.