Higher Ed AV Hall of Fame Inductees
Tim Albright
AV Nation | CTI
Tim Albright is founder of AVNation Media, and an award-winning AV professional. His career has led him into television, church production, radio, education, and digital media production. Albright has contributed to several industry-leading publications and has led industry discussions around the globe and is a highly sought-after moderator for his ability to bring real-world uses into conversations and panel discussions.
Justin Dawson
Dublin City University
Justin Dawson is a highly respected and award-winning Audio Visual Professional with over two decades of dedicated experience within the AV industry and higher education AV sector. His career demonstrates a deep commitment to advancing AV technology, fostering community, and supporting the unique needs of the higher education AV landscape.
Justin’s expertise in Audio Visual is underpinned by his qualifications, including the esteemed AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist (CTS®) certification, which recognizes his proficiency in all aspects of AV solutions. His academic background, which includes a Master’s degree in TV & Radio Production, further strengthens his comprehensive understanding of media and AV technologies. His contributions to the AV field have been recognised through numerous accolades, including being a finalist for European CTS® Holder of the Year and his recognition as an AV Professional of the Year, highlighting his significant impact and standing within the Audio Visual industry.
Justin is currently employed as a Senior Technical Officer at Dublin City University. At Dublin City University, Justin is involved in the design, production, and support live events, online courses and the implementation of AV technology in the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy & Community Health.
Justin is the driving force behind the popular ``All Things TechIE Podcast``. This influential podcast serves as a dynamic platform for exploring the latest trends, insights, and news in the AV and technology sectors, reaching a broad audience of enthusiasts and professionals. Through his engaging content, Justin actively contributes to knowledge sharing and community engagement within the AV industry. The podcast’s success underscores his passion for AV and his ability to connect with the professional community.
Further demonstrating his commitment to the AV community, Justin founded AV GroupIE, a professional network specifically for AV professionals and students based in Ireland. This initiative fosters an inclusive and supportive environment for networking, collaboration, and career development within the Irish AV sector. The creation of AV GroupIE highlights his proactive approach to building a strong and connected AV community.
A key aspect of Justin's passion for AV is his role as the EMEA Executive for the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HETMA). His deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within higher education AV makes him an ideal leader for HETMA's European expansion. In this significant position, he is actively developing HETMA's presence and impact across Europe, serving as a vital advocate for AV professionals and technology managers working within universities and colleges. His efforts are focused on raising awareness of technology issues specific to higher education AV within the European context.
Jon Hamilton
Emory University
Jon Hamilton is the Senior Audio-Visual Manager at Emory University School of Medicine, where he has driven AV innovation and infrastructure for over 13 years. With a background spanning corporate and higher education AV, Jon is skilled in Consumer Electronics, Video Conferencing, Digital Signage, and Troubleshooting. His notable projects include two Health Sciences Research Buildings at Emory, which were developed in collaboration with multiple architects. He also has completely reworked all of Emory's School of Medicine into an AV over IP environment; Jon has maintained a CTS certification for over 20 years. Jon has held leadership roles at Xerox Audio Visual Solutions and Southern Business Communications. Additionally, he volunteers as the Sponsorship Chair for HETMA, supporting their nonprofit mission by cultivating sponsor relationships.
Mike Pedersen
Iowa State University
Mike Pedersen, the Audiovisual Experience Manager at Iowa State University since the summer of 2018, brings over 30 years of experience in the engineering industry with a focus on the professional audiovisual (AV) sector for the past 25 years. Leading the Audiovisual Experience Team (AVXT) at Iowa State, Mike oversees the maintenance of AV systems in over 200 university classrooms and provides consulting, installation, and repair services across campus. The AVXT won the 2023 Higher Ed AV Team of the Year with Higher Ed AV Media. Recognized as an expert in the field, he holds both Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) certifications in Design (CTS-D) and Installation (CTS-I), a distinction shared by only approximately 800 individuals worldwide. He is routinely a presenter and educator at conferences including InfoComm, ETC, MCUAV, NW/MET, and the HETMA Virtual Conference. In 2018, AVIXA named him CTS Holder of the Year. Mike currently serves on the Membership Committee and Certification Renewal Committee with AVIXA, and he previously served as an elected member of the Certification Steering Committee and chair of the Technology Mangers Council. He also currently serves on the board of directors with the Educational Technology Collaborative (ETC) as well as the Membership Committee and Program Committee. He has previously served extensively with HETMA including the original steering committee and later as the 1-year at large board member. Before joining Iowa State, he spent almost 19 years at Mechdyne Corporation, contributing to various roles including engineering manager, R&D, and pre-sales engineering. Outside of his professional endeavors, Mike actively volunteers in STEM education, having previously serving on the governor's North Central Iowa Regional STEM Advisory Board. A 1994 graduate of Iowa State University, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with distinction and a minor in History and is working toward a Master of Engineering in Engineering Management degree.
Adam Harvey
University of Hertfordshire
Adam Harvey is Solution Architect – AV & Digital Media at the University of Hertfordshire as part of the Learning and Teaching Spaces Team within the Library and Computing Services Department. Adam has been at the University of Hertfordshire for 30 years and has held a number of AV roles in that time.
Over his time at the University, Adam has been involved in delivering well over 750 AV projects, including work on 25 new buildings, ranging from ‘standard’ technology refreshes to innovative projects to change the way teaching and learning is delivered to students. The most recent large projects to be completed have been the Enterprise Hub, a mix of social, learning and business incubation space and the UH Institute of Sport, a new purpose-built home of the University Sports Science Dept, and is Adam is currently working on delivering AV solutions in a new £98m building for the School of Physics, Engineering & Computer Science.
Since 2019, Adam has been the Joint Chair of LTSMG, Learning and Teaching Space Managers Group, who are a higher education focused end user community made up of circa 450 HE/FE AV, IT and Learning Space Managers. Adam is a prominent member of the AV industry and an active member in several end user groups, several manufacturers focus groups and has been an AV Awards Judge for several years and held the InfoComm CTS Certification since 2007.
BC Hatchett
Vanderbilt University
BC Hatchett, M.A.Ed., is the Associate Director for Classroom Technology at Vanderbilt University Information Technology. With a master’s degree in education and over 18 years of experience in higher education technology management, BC is a seasoned professional dedicated to enhancing the academic experience for faculty, staff, and students.
As a co-founder of the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HEMTA), BC is committed to amplifying the voice of the higher education technology industry. He is deeply passionate about his institution’s mission and strives to provide unparalleled support and innovation to Vanderbilt University.
Beyond his professional endeavors, BC finds joy in spending quality time with family and friends, cheering on the Nashville Predators, and watching The Big Lebowski.
John Hulen
Crestron Electronics
John Hulen has been in the AV industry for over 27 years and has worked for Crestron for over 12 years. He currently serves as the Director of Channel Marketing, Education for Crestron Electronics. He has worked with universities, technical and community colleges, and K-12 school districts across the midwestern US and around the country. His role with Crestron is focused on Crestron’s team of education partner managers who provide solutions, resources, and support to educational institutions in the US, Canada, and around the world. He has a passion to better understand how technology and automation can improve learning outcomes for 21st century students.
He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife and two kids. Together, they enjoy the outdoors, volleyball, disc golf, and traveling.
Lisa Stephens
University at Buffalo
Lisa Stephens, Ph.D. serves as Assistant Dean at the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences leading Online Education, and also serves as Senior Strategist for Academic Innovation in the Office of the SUNY Provost. She also enjoys an appointment in the UB Department of Communication as an Adjunct Associate Professor. Lisa leads strategic development of online programs within the School, promoting interdisciplinary opportunities, and leads coordination of program delivery.
Her SUNY portfolio included leadership of FLEXspace™ (Flexible Learning Environments eXchange) a global open education repository of learning environment exemplars now adopted by 1,600 institutions across 78 countries. Lisa also manages the SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology and OER program to support the Chancellor’s strategic initiatives and serves as the SUNY Partner Manager for Coursera.
Research interests are focused on faculty and administrative choice of technology adoption, with publications in EDUCAUSE, the Encyclopedia of Distance and Online Learning, the College and University Media Review, ACUTA and various conference presentations and research reports. She lives on the shore of Lake Ontario with her husband Jim where they attempt to sail into as many ports as possible each summer!
Willie Franklin
Otterbein University
Willie Franklin’s career began in 1983, as the Media Technician, Learning Resource Center, at then Otterbein College, and later advance to both the Senior Technology Specialist and Director or Instructional Services positions at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. He retired August 2022, after serving as the Event and Technology Coordinator, Office of Events and Conferences. He established the Otterbein University’s Classroom Technology Refresh and Innovation Program, consulted and coordinated the integration and rollout of Otterbein University Digital Signage messaging system, and lead in the transition from analog classrooms to the design and implementation of all digital classrooms. Willie was Awarded the Model Citizen Award by the President of Otterbein University.
Willie’s philosophy is to leverage emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication as the guiding principles in the design, implementation and utilization of instructional technology, event technologies, media production techniques and innovation in video conferencing systems. He is a Life Member of Educational Technology Collaborative (E.T.C.), CCUMC, frequent guest on AV Nation TV podcast, serves on the E.T.C. IDEA Committee, Martin Luther King Legacy Committee, Leadership Westerville, Westerville, OH, and member of Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Willie received both an Electronics Technician Degree and Applied Science of Electronics Degree from Derry University, Sound System design from Synergetic Audio Concepts, and Bachelors in Business and Organizational Communication from Otterbein University. Willie now serves as the sole proprietor of Franklin DJ and Event Services, based in Westerville, Ohio.
Julie Johnston
Indiana University
Julie is currently the Executive Education Vertical Director for Avaya SLED. Julie has spent the majority of career in higher education. She started her career teaching educational technology courses and moved to leadership positions early in her career. Julie has over 25+ years working in Instructional Technology Leadership positions in higher education and K-12. Her recent position managed four entities of Indiana University’s Learning Technologies: Classroom Technology Services, Learning Space Design, Collaboration Technologies, and Student Technology Computing. Along with managing these services, she was ultimately responsible for the technology design of Learning Spaces for the campus, specifically active learning classrooms, informal learning spaces, and student technology center spaces. She was instrumental in the launch of Indiana University’s active learning initiative, Mosaic (mosaic.iu.edu) She also designed a new type of innovative learning space at IU called the Idea Garden (http://ideagarden.iupui.edu) where students could go to explore emerging technology as well as collaborate with high end technology collaboration software and tools. Her most recent project, The Digital Gardener, was a faculty support initiative designed to improve digital literacy, creativity and student learning. Julie was actively involved with Educause as a team member on the Learning Space Rating System (LSRS) project provides a set of measurable criteria to assess how well the design of classrooms support and enable active learning. Julie also co-led the Educause Learning Space Working group – a group of learning space experts/colleagues interested in learning space design.
Darryl Krall
Panasonic Connect
Darryl Krall With 25+ years as an A/V, IT and UC professional his focus has always been in Higher Education. He is a National Sales Manager for Panasonic Connect – Professional Imaging & Visual Systems Division. Darryl also leads Panasonic’s Higher Education initiative with the Panasonic Higher Education Advisory Council. Darryl was an adjunct faculty member for many years teaching Business classes. He is passionate about the value of lifelong learning and the importance of education.
He has participated in ETC since 2010 and is currently on the ETC Board of Directors since July 2021 started his 2ndterm on the board in July 2023. Darryl has also been the Corporate Membership Committee Chair since August of 2020 supporting active engagement with all ETC members. He serves on the Program Committee developing, planning, and execution of the ETC in person conference in October 2020 at the University of Central Florida and currently on the program committee planning for the 2023 ETC conference at the University of Southern California.
Darryl has a Masters of Science in Communications from Northwestern University & a Bachelors of Arts in Technology & Marketing from De Paul University.
Don Meritt, PhD
University of Central Florida
Dr. Don Merritt is the Director of the Office of Instructional Resources (OIR) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and is also President of the Educational Technology Collaborative (ETC). Don started in radio / tv in 1990 and worked in broadcast news and video production through 2003. His other work includes Emmy-nominated productions, internationally screened documentary work, and experimental theatre projects that used telepresence to combine actors and audiences across North America in real time.
UCF is one of the largest public universities in the US with nearly 70,000 students in Orlando, Florida. OIR is the in-house AV integrator for UCF, and the office is responsible for over 900 AV installations in classrooms and conference rooms at campuses across Central Florida. OIR currently has nearly $20 million in projects underway including full renovations, upgrades, and new construction touching nearly 400 spaces at the university.
The mission of the Educational Technology Collaborative is to provide leadership and a forum for information exchange to the providers of media content, academic technology, and support for quality teaching and learning at institutions of higher education. ETC (formerly the Consortium of College and University Media Centers, CCUMC) has been a leader in higher ed AV for 50 years and has found new vigor with the elevation of AV services since the pandemic.
Justin Rexing
Western Kentucky University
Justin Rexing is an accomplished audio video professional with 20 years of experience in the industry. Justin Rexing currently works as an Audiovisual Design Engineer for Western Kentucky University, owner of Rexing Consulting Group, LLC and co-founder of the AV SuperFriends, LLC. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and holds a Master of Science, both obtained from Western Kentucky University.
Justin has served on multiple task forces and committees for AVIXA, including PETC and the AVIXA Foundation Board which he helped to lay foundational work to grow the industry. As a Senior Faculty member of AVIXA, he has helped teach multiple 3-day courses such as Managing AV Staff and Spaces, CTS Prep and Net Tech. He has also assisted in revising and developing curriculum for the 3-day courses taught at InfoComm each year.
Justin has also written multiple articles in the industry including the November 2017 cover story for AV Technology Magazine titled “Get Darwinian”. Taking time to help aspiring AV professionals in the industry is something he is passionate about.
Gina Sansivero
Atlas IED
Gina Sansivero is currently the VP of Marketing and Corporate Communications at AtlasIED. She has over 15 years’ experience working within the audiovisual, security, and communication technologies industry in marketing and business/ market development roles. As a marketing professional, Gina has helped commercial technology manufacturers develop and strengthen their brand profile, reputation, and reach, as well as strategically align sales and marketing efforts to increase revenue generation and exceed corporate goals. As an active industry cheerleader, Gina believes in giving back to an industry that has helped her mature professionally and volunteers for a number of industry associations and boards including Higher Education institutions, WAVIT, ETC, NSCA, and AVIXA among others.