Atkins Fleming is the Assistant Director of Learning Spaces at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He’s worked for over a decade in higher education A/V support, preceded by numerous years in acoustical design. He has a degree in Sound Recording Technology from Texas State University and is a lifelong musician, and he uses both skillsets on a regular basis at his church. Atkins has always loved A/V, from before he knew what A/V was.
A higher education technology leader well versed in AV, broadcasting, live and recorded video production, and teaching. Experienced in the study of virtual environments, video games, and accessibility.
Don is the current President of the Educational Technology Collaborative (ETC, etcollaborative.org), The mission of ETC 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.
Don is also the Director of UCF’s nationally recognized Office of Instructional Resources, which is responsible for AV design, consultation, integration and engineering, project management, end-user support and training, and planning for the university.
I have been in the Audio-Visual industry for 20+ years in various sales and marketing roles in both the private and public sectors. My work history includes working with integrators and manufacturers such as Christie Digital, Epson, and currently with QSC. I am passionate about helping women succeed in the industry and have spent the past 6 years working with the AVIXA Women’s Council, a group of professionals committed to supporting and empowering women who work in the technology and AV industry – first as a member, two years ago appointed as co-chair to the Los Angeles/Orange County region, and at the start of 2022, Co-Chair to the council. The council has over a thousand members and 50 groups throughout the world.
Renee Benson is a seasoned veteran of the A/V industry with over 15 years experience as a Regional Account Manager in the Midwest. Over the years, Renee has worked as a reseller, distribution and manufacturing rep, most recently with Sharp NEC Display Solutions.
Mike Pedersen, the Audiovisual Experience Manager at Iowa State University since the summer of 2018, brings over 29 years of experience in the engineering industry, with a focus on the professional audiovisual (AV) sector for the past 24 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 as co-chair of the Membership Committee and a member of the Program Committee with ETC. He also serves as the 1-year at large board member for HETMA and has previously held leadership roles in AVIXA including Chair of the Technology Managers Council and an elected member of the Certification Steering Committee. 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.
AVIXA Learning & Content Committee Chair
AVIXA Women's Council Local Leader - Atlanta
10+ years in AV, exclusively in manufacturer training
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).
I now work as a Design Engineer for AVI-SPL, based out of the Atlanta, GA office. I work with the Account Managers to design systems for customers prior to sales, then work with the post sales team once a system is purchased.
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.
Managed Audio Visual services for School District 197 that includes Two Rivers High School, two (2) middle schools, and five (5) elementary schools. Provide leadership and management to the Audio Visual department. CareHawk system administrator for the two middle schools. Started a service club for Two Rivers High School and District called Tech Warriors. Tech Warriors provided level 1 computer support, event production services, and TV/Streaming production.