Meet Your Hosts: Unveiling the Voices Behind Talking Technology With ATLIS

Narrator
Welcome to Talking Technology with ATLIS, the show that plugs you into the important topics and trends for technology leaders all through a unique Independent School lens. We'll hear stories from technology directors and other special guests from the Independent School community and provide you with focus learning and deep-dive topics. And now please welcome your host, Christina Lewellen.

Christina Lewellen
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Talking Tech with ATLIS. I'm Christina Lewellen. I'm the Executive Director of the Association of technology leaders in independent schools. And I'm so thrilled to be joined by my co hosts, my partners in crime for this new project at ATLIS, bill states and hiring Cuevas guys, I'm so glad you're here. Let's start by taking a few moments and just introducing to the audience who the heck we are. And then we'll talk about why we decided to start this podcast. So first, let me toss it over to Bill. I think probably everybody knows Bill, but let's see how you would introduce yourself to a stranger at a cocktail party and go.

Bill Stites
So my name is Bill states. I'm the Director of Technology at Montclair Kimberley Academy. I'm starting my 30th year here at Mk I actually had the good fortune of being a student teacher here. So I know nothing else, except Mk. When it comes to my role as director. I've taught third grade, I have run an Irish studies program, done a lot of foreign travel as part of that taught web design a few other little bits and pieces here and there over the years. But also, I do a lot of work and how I've gotten to really spend a lot of quality time with our other co hosts, I'm equip us do a lot of work with educational collaborators, working with other schools getting in and seeing what is going on there and helping schools find their way. So it's been a lot of fun.

Christina Lewellen
That's incredible. You know, Bill, like literally, we're only two minutes into this process. And I just learned that you taught third grade and I don't know why but my brain has exploded. Yeah. Like I can't really see you in a room full of third graders. So I'm going to come back to you and ask you for a good story from that era of your life, but I'm already like this was entirely worth it.

Bill Stites
Well started out as a fine arts major in college. So there's another little tidbit.

Christina Lewellen
You've had a winding journey, my friends? Yes, indeed. Hiram, tell us about your life.

Hiram Cuevas
I'm Hiram Cuevas. I'm the Director of Information Systems and Academic Technology at St. Christopher's school. I'm in my 32nd year here at St. Christopher's. And much like Bill, I did not start off in the IT field. I was actually a middle school science teacher, I started in eighth grade I was I've been an advisor, I've been a coach, Director of summer programs, you name it, I've kind of done it here at the school. And really what I found fascinating, when I turn back the clock to look at my tenure here is that back in 1991, I had the first laptop on campus,

Christina Lewellen
I bet you felt fancy.

Hiram Cuevas
I was fancy, I was really really quite fancy with that one meg of RAM and that blazing fast 11 megahertz processor. And how much did it weigh? It was a small boat anchor. And suffice it to say though, I managed to do quite a bit with it and show some of the magic that can be done with tech. But my journey just like bills are were very similar in that regard, started off outside of it, and then fell in love with making educational technology in particular work best for our students and for our faculties to embrace it and make sure that they're learning at their peak efficiencies.

Christina Lewellen
That's really great. It's really cool that we have two veterans here on the podcast to help guide some of these questions. Because in so many ways, we're seeing this really neat transition happening in the independent school technology leader space. And that is that many of you this wasn't a job when you started in independent schools Correct. Being in a full time tech role didn't exist. And now there are folks coming into our space that actually desire and aim to be in these roles. So we're going to hit on that. Really quickly, though, I come from the association management space, which means that I've represented different types of industries in my career. So I'm basically a business person, but I operate within the confines of a non profit space. I know how to run a professional association. I've represented window and door manufacturers, stenographic court reporters, government contractors, proposal writers, so a bunch of different industries and I came into the ATLIS world a little over four years ago as the executive director of ATLIS. Obviously, we're a relatively young organization for all the reasons I just said, but I will tell Are you this is a very easy group to fall in love with. I have enjoyed my time here immensely. And I don't plan to go anywhere anytime soon, because we're just growing really fast. And I think that also speaks to all the cool things that are going on in our world. So if I could let me just ask you guys to hit on that topic that I just kind of tossed in front of you, which is this wasn't a job. And now it most certainly is, do you see young professionals coming in and hoping to be in your roles as their careers unfold? It's kind of a different vibe, isn't it?

Bill Stites
I think very much. So. You know, my degree is in early childhood education. And the only kind of like, technology course that I took when I was in college was one of the, you know, Gen Ed requirements where, you know, you got your one semester of it, and you went in and did it, there was, there was none of that. And I think it's very interesting, seeing, you know, my alma mater, Montclair State University, now having these undergraduate and masters levels degrees in all of this and the people that are coming in, and that we're seeing, even in the classrooms, they're coming in with a lot more what I call a lot more academic experience, from the coursework that they're doing, as they come in, and they bring those ideas and I think that's really beginning to flourish and to work well for, for schools and for teaching in general.

Hiram Cuevas
And I would say it was most evident at the ally dinner that we had in our board retreat, we had an opportunity to meet up with that cohort.

Christina Lewellen
That's the ATLIS Leadership Institute, a li Yeah,

Hiram Cuevas
yes. And it was astounding to hear the journeys that these folks are going through. And they're they're all over the map, you've got some folks who have a great deal of experience in heavy are it what I would call the hardware and that network infrastructure side of the house, we have some who are coming from the academic tech or a tech and tech spaces and watching that continuum, just continue to expand and grow. One of the things that I found refreshing was the energy that is there to go into this space, and recognizing how much sharing that is actually being done on a regular basis. People just don't keep information to themselves. They want everyone schools to be successful.

Christina Lewellen
And that's a big reason why we decided to finally leap into the world of podcasting, because it's a more agile vehicle for communication and conversation. And I think that we know about this universe, that about this group of people that there is a ton of sharing going on. And often you all learn from each other in really incredible ways. What are you hoping are some of the things we can cover? You know, with that in mind, and being able to maybe get information out to the community a little bit faster, that we have the opportunity to bring on some incredible guests and thought leaders? You both were, you raised your hands high and proud when we invited and asked for your support in this initiative. So as CO hosts of this podcast, what are you hoping that we can cover?

Bill Stites
One of the things I'll just jump in and say is that it's not so much like what it's the fact that what I find, we're able to do in this medium, what I've personally gotten out of this medium and want to bring to ATLIS is this idea of, for us like ongoing personal professional development. You know, I think with where we are, in our daily lives, finding time to listen to a podcast like this to gain insight into areas where you might not necessarily have been able to invest the time or energy to learn on yourself, I think is great. I think as we think about the topics and the people that we're going to pull in over the course of this area, I think it's going to be interesting to bring in people and get their perspectives on areas that are developing one of the areas make mention of that I've had the most immediate experience with is the work that I did this past summer with the Center for Institutional Research and independent schools. So the idea of looking at that IR track in schools and how technology can help support that because that is, I think one of the areas where, you know, we talk about a lot of the ways in which schools can use information, and all the things that we're gathering to make better decisions. And I think that the combination of you know, the work that's happening there and the level of influence, and just the broad based kind of way in which technology touches every aspect of all the departments within the schools is going to be a great conversation to have. I look forward to when we're able to have that talk as just one example. Yeah,

Christina Lewellen
I think that's great bill because really coming out of the pandemic, there couldn't be a better time for us to launch this podcast and have these conversations because Technology has been amplified in independent schools in a way that, as I understand it has been somewhat unprecedented, right? That like suddenly tech leaders are truly, you know, the degree to which they touch everything is being highlighted and amplified, in some cases celebrated more than in other cases. But I think that certainly, now's the time to have these really important strategic discussions. So I think you're absolutely right. What about you, Hiram? What are you hoping we hit on?

Hiram Cuevas
Well, I hope everyone here has an opportunity to develop the types of relationships that I have had with other IT directors. So for example, Bill and I met many years ago via Twitter. And so if you've seen us at conferences, we're almost inseparable. Because we have found that not only do we have the same missions for our schools, but we also share many of the same interests outside of it.

Christina Lewellen
I don't know. I mean, I heard you guys are twins. Like, is that not true? could be it could be okay. All right, well unpack that.

Hiram Cuevas
So the relationship that I have enjoyed developing with people like Bill and Vinny Rodney and Jason Ramsden, just to name a few are some of the best resources that you can develop when you are part of an organization like ATLIS, because having them all serve as resources for you, is so important. Because oftentimes, in talking to other it, folks, they find themselves on an island. And while there is this sense that, yes, we do touch other areas of campus, there are still a lot of people on campuses today that really don't know what we do and what we deal with on an ongoing and regular basis. And so it becomes this cathartic group of folks that you can reach out to you can phone a friend and say, Hey, listen, I'm having problems with this particular situation. And really, that's one of the benefits of that ally program that you had mentioned earlier, is it forces people to develop those relationships on campus, and also off campus with some other other IT leaders. And really, what I hope to gain from this, and I hope our audience gains from this is that development and fostering of community and relationship building that is so important to the day to day operations of your work?

Christina Lewellen
Absolutely, I think we'll be able to do that, because we have a lot of flexibility in the topics that we cover. And because technology is so far reaching, we really have this opportunity to hit a lot of different types of topics as we go. So that's really cool. I'm hoping that we can also talk a little bit about how defining the technology leader role in today's environment in our school communities, how we serve our learners and how we serve our faculty and our administration teams. That's changing. And so you know, one of the articles that we're going to dive into in the upcoming issue of access points ATLISes magazine is around the reporting structure of a technology leader. It used to be a boxes and wires, kind of a job. And so it made a lot of sense for that role to report through facilities, but that is evolving. And even the titles that we're seeing at ATLIS coming through our database are really interesting, and creative, and I think reflective of where this role is going. So I'm looking forward to unpacking that and diving into that with some of our guests as well.

Bill Stites
So I think one of the things I really enjoy about this group, and I'll even say about like this medium, is, as you invest the time in listening to it, you begin to identify with the people that are on the podcast, whether it's the host or the guests, to the point where and this this just happened to me recently at a conference I was at at Penn State, where you go and you see these people to hire him his point earlier about the relationships that you build, you go and you see these people and you already have this kind of like frame for conversations for talking points to kind of enter into those conversations and learn even more from them when you meet them from that first time. Because you can say oh, by the way, I heard you on this, or, you know, when you were talking about these different pieces, and one of the things that I've always said about what we do in the jobs and even the value of ATLIS, as a community is when you have me when you hire me when you have someone like me or hire many of us at your schools, you don't just have us you have this network, you have this community of people willing to share, willing to jump in and to have these conversations when you need them to help you solve your problems cannot be understated. And it's my hope that with what we are going to be trying to do with this. We're able to provide that level of service to the community as a whole as well.

Christina Lewellen
Yeah, absolutely. So I'm going to ask you guys some of the things that are on your mind. As technology leaders, as we head into the school year, I know that this is a busy time of year for folks. And this podcast. And this intro may launch a little bit later than the start of the school year, especially for some schools that start earlier than others. But just looking at the year as a whole, what are some of the discussions that you think we should be having? And what are some of the issues that you're thinking about? Like, what are some of the I hate to say the things keeping you up at night, but you know, in addition to the regular start of school, your flurry and onboarding and all those things, what are some of the things you're thinking about as we head into another academic year,

Hiram Cuevas
I think one of the things I'm going to tackle very quickly, it would only take just a few minutes, many of us have gone through a great deal of turnover in our staffs. And so the first thing that I'm doing is updating our membership list with Peter Frank, to ensure that everybody who was connected to our IT staff includes our librarians, that includes division, heads, etc, that they are all receiving all the information that membership includes for being an ATLIS member.

Christina Lewellen
And Peter is a he's our membership director here at ATLIS. So if you haven't met Peter, you can reach him or the rest of our team by emailing membership at the ATLIS.org. And it is important to keep your roster updated. Why Hiram? Why do you prioritize that?

Hiram Cuevas
I had a funny conversation. I think it was actually with you, Christina this summer at our retreat when I said, Hey, how do I make sure that my headmaster gets the magazine? And she's like, well, he's just got to be a member. And I didn't even think about adding him to the membership.

Christina Lewellen
That's right, get him on the roster, get him on the roster. So

Hiram Cuevas
take care of the folks who are no longer part of your staff. But also be sure to add all the new folks and add people who are stakeholders in other areas that would benefit from the information that was can provide.

Christina Lewellen
Thank you, I did not pay you, Hiram to say that. I'm very grateful that you're doing my work for me. So what are you thinking about?

Bill Stites
Well, I'm gonna piggyback really quickly on just what Hiram was saying about the turnover. And I think it's, and I'm gonna go back to what I had said before, also about community, and the idea of the team, you know, there's onboarding, in terms of, you know, just all the things that we need to do to get people up to speed just so that they have, like that baseline of knowledge in order to be helpful. You know, after 30 years, you take certain things for granted. And the onboarding process in that new start with a new employee kind of has to ground you a little bit and say, Okay, what are the things that are the most meaningful and that are the most important that we need to impart. So I agree with Hiram on that. The other thing that I think gets to the broad scope, that's, I'm not gonna say he's keeping me up at night, but definitely has me worried about the volume of work that is coming is we're going through re accreditation, we're going through our 10 year process. So we've got a lot of work to do in that area. And I think a lot of the things that we are going to be touching on are going to have to deal with not only the teaching and learning that's taking place, but the governance issues, and the ways in which information going back to kind of like the Cirrus comment I made earlier, the ways in which we're managing all of these things. And I look at the ways in which we're dividing that work internally here. And all the ways in which it's like I don't necessarily need to be like the lead on a committee, but it's like, I should be involved because it's good. Each one of them touches on some aspect that connects it to our systems, or the ways in which we're promoting teaching and learning are all of those things, and not to make more of what we do them what's actually happening in the classroom. But it really does speak to the fact that, you know, you mentioned facilities before and the way in which it kind of seemed like a facilities role. It somewhat still is because it's part of the fabric of all the things that go on in the school. Yeah, even in a small level. And I think that's where a lot of what I'm thinking about now, as we go into this process that is definitely keeping me alert.

Christina Lewellen
Well, anytime you use the word accreditation in this space, everyone's blood pressure goes up a couple of notches, so I understand that entirely. I'm going to ask you guys, as we kind of round out this intro date, are we having a little coffee date, or a little intro get to know you podcast, I'm going to ask you what some of your favorite podcasts are. And as I give you a moment to think about that, I will share that for me. Some of the can't miss podcasts that I think will give you a particular window into my brain. I for sure, listen to new view edu from our friends over at nai s and Tim fish to me just asks such incredible questions. I had an opportunity to actually participate in that podcast with him not long ago talking about AI and I could just listen into him ask people questions all day. So I think that's a pretty good sign of a podcast. I definitely follow a few podcasts in my association space to keep me thinking about how to thrive as an association. And so one of my favorites is called associations thrive. And it's hosted by a woman named Joanna Panetta. And she is always talking to leaders of various associations and you learn a lot about the different industries and what everybody's doing to thrive. I'm a fan of This American Life and my can't miss is pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. I love how they talk about business and tax. So pivot is for me a huge podcast. And to round it all up. I have a little bit of a true crime obsession. So I also listen to my favorite murder. I listened to Murdock murder podcast for a while they renamed themselves to sunlight. So I have a very eclectic mix. And Hiram, I know that you have a very eclectic music habit in your life. You listen to all sorts of crazy stuff. But when it comes to podcasts, what are some of the ones that you absolutely don't miss a single episode?

Hiram Cuevas
Sure. So in the criminal arena. I love the podcast called criminal. There's another one called villains, which is quite fun.

Christina Lewellen
So you like bad guys? Is that what's going on?

Hiram Cuevas
I like the bad guys. Okay. Yeah. And then to appease my science background, I like science versus nice. I also am a huge fan of Freakonomics Radio.

Christina Lewellen
It's good mix. Pretty good mix. No metal No, like band related music related podcasts. It's just strictly music. If I'm going to go music, I'm going to stick to the music itself. All right, I gotcha. Bill, what do you got?

Bill Stites
I just had to put it out there. I'm thoroughly disappointed in hiring right now. Because I'm just disappointed because Hiram and I both have a zombie addiction. And he forgot to mention we're alive. Oh, you're right. If you love the zombie genre. Yeah, this is it. You know, hire me even got me into it. So that's why I'm, I'm really gonna double down on my disappointment. And I'm at this point,

Christina Lewellen
you are under the bus friend. You went right under that bus? Exactly.

Hiram Cuevas
Yes, I am. Hey, you know what, and I totally forgot, because I've listened to the whole thing three times. And I had to actually remove it.

Bill Stites
So Christina, I'm gonna plus one, your new view. Edu. Yeah, I agree. Tim fish is just, he's great. The way in which he asks questions, the way in which the podcast is kind of set up and functions I think is fabulous. The one that that is my drug of choice is the Mac admins podcast. Nice. This is kind of one of the things that really got me interested in it. A former colleague of mine, who actually went through the aspiring Leadership Institute, Damien Barrett, turned me on to it. And it's just great. It's a same kind of like three hosts, tackling what I consider deep end of the pool topics for what I do stuff that, you know, I ended up googling half of what they're saying, I go to their show notes to read a little bit more. Like I said, it's my personal professional development in those areas. Some of the other ones that I really like, some mutual friends of all of ours, Brendan Schneider, or Peter Baron, they do a leadership backstory, which is really just conversations with leaders in terms of how they got to where they are in the in the positions that they're in. One that I'll point to, that was a podcast, that was a short series, and my head of school actually turned me on to it. It's called sketch model. And it was out of Olin College of Engineering. And they really, they talked about in the short series, I think it was only six episodes about STEM, and ethics around STEM. And, you know, this idea of all this work that we're doing in the STEM area about how do we do all these things, you know, like, how do we support people in their building, but asking the question of should we be doing these things? And how are we doing these things? And it was one of the first things I've heard where they actually talked about technology as art. So if you expand out the steam, it had a really interesting kind of like art bend to it. And then lastly, I will leave you all with one that just shows what a an Eagles fan I am. And that's the new heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce. It just feeds my Philly nerd dumb in terms of just all things Philly sports, so I'll just leave it at that.

Christina Lewellen
You know what, this is why I think we need to have a couple different hosts with a few different backgrounds because you'll lose me on all that sports stuff. I'm a Buffalo area native, and I was recently up in that area visiting with family and I happened to make the mistake of asking Who's Josh Allen? And I think I got disowned. I mean, my Italian family, like there were a lot of hands, there was a lot of cussing going on, and I got school. So I will leave the sports to you guys, gentlemen, it's been such a pleasure to get to know you a little bit better. And I'm really looking forward to this journey. I'm so grateful that you're willing to give your time I know you're both incredibly busy. And there's a lot of pull on your time given that you are leaders in this space. And a lot of the technology leaders that I interact with rely on you guys to help them solve problems. So now you're just taking it to a bigger audience on behalf of ATLIS. And I'm so grateful to be on this journey with you guys. I hope that everybody enjoys and feels comfortable providing feedback recommendations for future guests and topics because we're very open to that. So thank you both for being a part of this journey. And I'm thinking this is going to be pretty fun, right? Buckle up.

Hiram Cuevas
Absolutely can't go wrong.

Bill Stites
I'm most definitely looking forward to it.

Christina Lewellen
All right, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us and for getting to know us a little bit better. We're gonna see you next time as we start diving into our regularly scheduled content. But you've joined us during talking tech with ATLIS. And we're really looking forward to seeing you on the next episode. Enjoy. Thank you.

Narrator
This has been talking technology with ATLIS produced by the Association of technology leaders in independent schools. For more information about ATLIS and ATLIS membership, please visit the ATLIS.org If you enjoyed this discussion, please subscribe, leave a review and share this podcast with your colleagues in the independent school community. Thank you for listening!