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.