Learning and Teaching Spaces Managers Group (LTSMG). An active community of Higher Education AV technologists & learning space designers with circa 500 members. The Learning and Teaching Spaces Managers Group was created to provide Higher Education AV, Media and IT managers with a forum to share knowledge and ideas through a private mailing list. As well as an active mailing list our key focus is our annual conference in November, which provides members with the opportunity to network and exchange ideas. If you currently work within Higher Education and are responsible for the design, specification, installation or support of Audio Visual systems then please Join Us. Specialties Education, AV, Learning Spaces, Collaboration , Video Conferencing, and Teaching & Learning

Erin Maher-Moran is the IT Manager – Classroom Technology at Johns Hopkins University (JHU).  She manages the Classroom/Audiovisual Technology Services team. Her team designs, installs, supports and maintains the classroom technology in general pool classrooms, as well as supports events, on the Homewood Campus in Baltimore, MD. She is also the Vice Chair of the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HETMA.org) and the host of AVNation’s EDTech podcast. With 25+ years in Higher Education AV, Erin has seen the industry grow and change in leaps and bounds.  She has been programming Crestron control systems since the early 2000’s and an AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) since 2008. Erin is a former roller derby skater and coach.  This has helped her understand the importance of building a dynamic team as well as allowed her an opportunity to develop her leadership skills and style. Erin holds a BFA in illustration and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Interactive Multimedia Development from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She is currently pursuing her MS in Engineering Management – Technical Leadership at JHU. 

Up through May 2022, I managed the AV Engineering & Operations team at the University of North Georgia. We maintained multiple campuses of classrooms with control systems in each and we worked with a team of support technicians who handle work on incident management while we handled incident escalations as well as problem management, change management, and request fulfillment (to use the ITIL vernacular). In May 2022, I became a Design Engineer 1 for AVI-SPL, based out of the Atlanta, GA office. I worked with the Account Managers to design systems for customers prior to sales, then worked with the post sales team once a system is purchased. Over the next two years, I was promoted to Design Engineer 2. In October 2024, I became an Engineering Manager for AVI-SPL, managing the Design Engineers and Project Engineers in the Atlanta, GA office.

A marketing professional and 20-year AV industry veteran, I am a proud CTS holder and enthusiastic #AVfoodie who is passionate about innovative technologies, design, and all things AV. I look forward to connecting with you here on Xchange and invite you to join me on LinkedIn as well.  To reach me, please message me on LinkedIn, as I am unable to reply to conversations here. 

I am Tanya Houston, the CEO and Managing Director of Wildwood Plus, a PR and marketing agency I founded in 1994. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, I have guided Wildwood's growth and success, providing clients with effective B2B strategies. My role involves shaping the agency's strategic direction and maintaining strong client relationships. In addition to my work at Wildwood Plus, I am committed to promoting gender equality and supporting women in the technology and AV industry. As the co-lead for the AVIXA Women's Council in the UK, I focus on creating opportunities for professional development and networking for women in AV.

I studied mechanical engineering, and moved to Broadcast where I worked in television for 7 years specialising in live and outside broadcast.   In 1992 I transitioned from television to AV and set up Hewshott in 2002 as an independent consultancy practice.  I lead the Hewshott Group worldwide, supporting each office across 3 continents as they collectively deliver projects for clients worldwide. Hewshott provides advice and project delivery resources in the AV, IT and Acoustic sectors, blending all three as required to support clients as they navigate through the technical challenges across multiple vertical markets. Outside of Hewshott, I have engineered numerous recordings and specialise in sacred music recorded on-site and have recorded in some wonderful buildings.   In my spare time, my engineering roots surface as I have two classic cars that are in a constant state of repair and maintenance, and the occasional modification.

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 700 individuals worldwide. 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 currently serves on the board of directors with the Educational Technology Collaborative (ETC) as the Membership Committee and Program Committee.  He has previously served extensively with HETMA including 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, 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.

As a technology journalist, Megan A. Dutta puts her passion for the audiovisual industry on each and every page, whether print or digital. Dutta is currently the director of emerging markets at LAVNCH and editor-in-chief of LAVNCH [CODE] where she explores new technologies like extended reality (XR), experiential advertising, projection mapping, and more.