Spotlight on…
Jon Youse
Director of Educational Technology Support and Operations
Ivy Tech Community College – Fort Wayne and Kosciusko County
Connect with Jon Youse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-youse/
Jon Youse is a passionate educational technology leader with a deep background in AV support, instructional technology, and academic operations. As Director of Educational Technology Support and Operations at Ivy Tech Community College, Jon oversees AV support for classrooms and events, as well as the learning management system (Canvas) and other academic technologies. His team provides training and troubleshooting for technologies that impact student success.
A lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Jon is an Eagle Scout and active volunteer with Scouting America, where he supports his son’s troop. Outside of work, Jon enjoys board games, reading, and spending time with his family watching movies and TV.
Jon is a big proponent of servant leadership. He views his job as being primarily a service provider and content expert. He likes to listen to needs and then come up with ideal solutions to meet the need. He also believes in mentoring team members—teaching and training them, then giving them the agency to make decisions and accomplish tasks utilizing their unique skills and abilities.
He tries to keep the environment very collegial, often presenting projects to the group and soliciting feedback and ideas. Regular daily meetings help the team stay aligned and foster collaboration.
To unwind, Jon usually likes to watch something before bedtime to calm down at the end of a long day. During the day, he enjoys taking short walks outside to clear his head, get some exercise, and re-engage with work.
He believes that AV is no longer a luxury but a necessity for modern, effective teaching. Investing in updated AV equipment is one of the most impactful steps a college can take to promote academic achievement, engagement, and equity in the classroom. He sees it as a strategic investment in student success, instructional quality, and institutional excellence.
Jon has also learned the importance of work/life balance. AV support can be all-consuming, and he emphasizes the need to set healthy boundaries so that work doesn’t encroach on personal life.
His advice to those starting out in AV or higher ed tech: find a mentor and get involved with organizations like HETMA and AVIXA to build a support network.
He notes that people often misunderstand the complexity of AV design. It’s not just about choosing the cheapest projector—it’s about considering factors like ambient light and screen size to ensure clarity and effectiveness in learning environments.
Thank you for joining us for this month’s edition of the “Tech Manager Spotlight.” Start by telling us a little about what you do and a little about your background.
It’s my pleasure to join you for Tech Manager Spotlight, thanks for having me! In my current role, I serve as the Director of Educational Technology Support and Operations for the Ivy Tech Community College campuses of Fort Wayne and Kosciusko County in Indiana. In addition to overseeing AV support for classrooms and events, I oversee the usage of our learning management system (Canvas) for faculty and students. My team and I do all sorts of training and troubleshooting for any sort of learning technology that impacts our students.
I’ve lived in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area for my entire life. My wife and I have a 12-year-old son who is just about to begin 7th grade. I spend quite a bit of my free time volunteering with Scouting America in the Troop that my son in a part of. As an Eagle Scout myself, I love the opportunity to give back to a program that has had a profound impact on my life. I also enjoy spending free time playing board games, reading, and watching TV and movies with my family.
Have you always worked in AV? What did the path look like for you to get to where you are now?
AV and technology have been a part of my life for as long as I remember. I still remember early days at home with Commodore Vic 20 & Commodore 64, learning to program in BASIC. Having a VCR for the first time. Learning to take photographs on my Canon AE-1. Playing with the family stereo. I’ve always been fascinated by technology and creating things using technology. During my undergrad years at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) back in the late 1990’s, I got involved with a cable access TV station that was based on campus and recorded and broadcast campus events as well as live for credit classes. There I learned more about signal flow and devices interconnected to display and broadcast video. And I learned how to be professional and do a job that I really enjoyed and was passionate about for a living. There were only 4 of us who were full-time staff, so I also learned how to lead and manage student workers as we created and broadcast content.
My next position at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne gave me my first exposure to classroom AV. I learned everything I could about projection systems, sound reinforcement, and how to integrate those systems to enable faculty teaching and student learning through AV. I worked my way up from pushing AV carts and fixing projectors to becoming the supervisor of all classroom AV, event AV, and the front-end desktop support for the campus. On that journey I learned how to work within budgets and to value engineer projects to get the maximum benefit for the university. My time and positions there also spurred me on to go back to school and earn a MBA and Master of Organizational Leadership.
I learned how to work within budgets and to value engineer projects to get the maximum benefit for the university.
During the pandemic, I transitioned to Ivy Tech and out of a direct AV related role and started working with the learning management system, academic technologies, and publisher software. That role provided support for both faculty and students in academic course work, and I then took on adjunct teaching for the first time and developed a passion for that as well. After a few years, the opportunity to get back into AV presented itself when the responsibility for classroom and event AV was transitioned to my department and out of IT.
Throughout this journey I was always connected to technology in some way, and I developed a passion for teaching and training about technology and organizational leadership. I’m fortunate to be in a role I enjoy with a terrific organization that lets me utilize these skills in service to Ivy Tech.
What is your morning routine?
I’ve always been an early riser and like to get up and going early. The normal routine includes getting breakfast ready for my son and I and packing our lunches for the day. I drop hi off at school then head to campus to start my day.
What does an average weekday look like for you?
Once I’ve gotten to campus, I dive straight into emails, Teams messages and the like to see if there are any fires that need to be put out. Then I get more morning mug of tea. One of the things I like about my role is the varied types of work and projects that come around. I’m usually juggling several long-term projects or tasks and trying to move the needle on each every day. Sometimes that means research, or writing documentation, or project proposals. I have a team of three that helps monitor requests from instructors or students for assistance, but I help with those tasks as well. About 25% of my workday is devoted to AV which can be anything from setting up for an event to installing new equipment or responding to AV assistance calls in the classrooms.
What does your busiest day look like? What are the challenges your role faces, and how do you overcome those?
The busiest days are always at the start of the semester, specifically the Fall semester. Busy days also come around midterms and finals for each part of term. Those are always the points when we have the most time-sensitive support requests coming from students and faculty.
A specific challenge that I am currently facing in my role is the lack of funding for AV support and equipment replacement.
A specific challenge that I am currently facing in my role is the lack of funding for AV support and equipment replacement. I currently have about $2500 a year that is assigned to me and covers some cable and minor equipment replacement. There is no regular replacement funding for classroom equipment and funding only seems to come with a major building project or renovation. I’ve not cracked the code on this one yet, but I continue to advocate having an annual amount of capital money set aside for equipment. In the meantime, I’ve been seeking grant funding that can be applied to classroom AV equipment.
What do you enjoy doing on weekends? How do you spend your time outside of work?
I’ve mentioned my involvement with Scouting, but I also have several acres on my property that take some time for mowing and yardwork. I do enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities like hiking and camping. I also like spending time reading and watching TV and movies. I work hard, so I try to enjoy that relaxation time when I can get it.Tell us about a project you are currently working on now?
I’ve got two big AV projects running currently. We have a building refurbishment and a new nursing and health sciences building that is approaching the bid stage for construction. The restoration should be online for classes in Spring 2027, the new building should be finished for Fall 2027. I’ve been working with the architect and low voltage engineer to design a completely new classroom AV standard. This involved lots of research on my part since there is no statewide standard in the Ivy Tech system, so I wanted to find what would work best to meet the needs of our faculty. Currently, we have mostly analog setups that are just a projector in the classroom and VGA cable going up the wall. So it was important to me to find a digital standard that could work for the majority of our classroom uses. It’s also likely to be a long time before these systems would be upgraded or replaced, so the systems need to be robust from the start.
it was important to me to find a digital standard that could work for the majority of our classroom uses
Comparing your career path over time, what are some of the moments, accomplishments, or projects that you’re most proud of?
In a way, this current position is history repeating itself. In my position at Saint Francis, there was a similar situation with a bunch of aged, analog classrooms. With support and budget provided by the administration, I was able to convert or build new 150 AV spaces onto Crestron DM as a standard. I was also able to upgrade two performance/auditorium spaces with digital projection and all new LED stage lighting and control systems. While it took awhile to go through that process, those rooms are still running well today with minimal upkeep.
You’ve been involved with many higher ed and AV-industry orgs. Talk about why you get involved in the way you do and how that is impacting our vertical?
I like getting involved because I feel working together and sharing experiences helps all of us. Personally, it helps reinforce for me that I am not alone. There are others who have faced the same challenges I am, and I can learn from their experiences. The reverse is true as well in that I may have experiences that can benefit others who are facing similar challenges. Higher Ed has a lot of specialized uses of AV that are as diverse as the programs and courses at our schools. This doesn’t necessarily coincide with typical, corporate AV. So it’s important to have groups like HETMA to support all of us in higher ed AV.
it’s important to have groups like HETMA to support all of us
I originally joined AVIXA because of the educational opportunities they provide and to take my CTS certification. That helped me gain the knowledge I needed when I got started in AV support.
I first heard about HETMA from my Panasonic rep, Chad Kulaga, when AV was recently added to my Ivy Tech role. I’ve found the community to be very supportive as I started bringing myself up to speed again on AV. There is never any judgement and the collegial atmosphere that it fostered by everyone from the board to the members is special. Everyone has been helpful and kind. I feel like I’ve found my people. That inspires me to be active in the community and engage with my peers.
Where do you see your career trajectory going in the next five years? Where do you envision yourself?
I’m very much a go with the flow and opportunities will present themselves type of person. I establish relationships with my colleagues and the administration and make a positive impact with the projects of initiatives I lead. That has served me well with each organization that I have worked for. Ivy Tech is a great place to work and with a system of colleges throughout the state, there are many opportunities for growth and advancement. I can see myself in higher administrative roles, but I don’t place a timetable on those opportunities.
What is your life motto and how do you apply it to your daily routine?
“Do your best”. It’s simple and effective and something that has stuck with me from my time as a Scout. So, I try to bring that philosophy to every task and interaction during my day. I think it also makes an impression on the faculty and students when trying everything you know to do to find a solution. Even when that means you may need to find a temporary solution until a better solution can be researched.
Do your best
