Web Pros

In this session, I’ll share how I’ve incorporated Adobe Express into my web and digital content workflow to streamline design tasks, maintain consistency, and support accessibility goals. I’ll discuss practical examples of creating and using shared templates, organizing lightweight design assets, and integrating Express into existing web and marketing processes. The session will also highlight built‑in accessibility checks and how they help reinforce inclusive design practices with minimal overhead.

In many organizations, audio-visual (AV) spaces evolve room-by-room—resulting in inconsistent user experiences, higher support burden, and slower deployments. This session shares a practical approach to AV space standardization based on our in-progress standardization initiative: defining room “archetypes,” establishing baseline technical and user-experience standards, aligning cross-functional stakeholders (IT, AV, facilities, procurement, and web/UC partners), and creating documentation that enables repeatable builds and smoother operations.

Presentation and discussion around how to reduce being a CAVE leader (Conventionally Against Virtually Everything) when getting feedback, and criticism, understanding emotional intelligence, leading with compassion, and dealing with team dynamics.

In the midst of the dynamic sessions and networking opportunities at the Tech Pros + Web Pros Conference, attendees can sometimes find themselves overwhelmed by the constant activity. To provide a refreshing change of pace, I propose designating a conference room as a dedicated board game retreat station. This space will serve as a sanctuary for participants to step away from the busy environment, offering them a chance to unwind, reconnect with colleagues, or enjoy some quiet time alone.

The transition from peer to leader is one of the most destabilizing and under-supported moments in a professional career. Organizations often promote high performers because of technical expertise, institutional knowledge, or relationship strength—but rarely provide guidance on how to fundamentally redefine those same relationships.

Abstract:

When we inventoried our web ecosystem at Penn State, we discovered over 2,000 distinct public subdomains and over 100,000 active WP sites across multiple environments.

Over time, institutions accumulate hundreds, sometimes thousands, of sites across multiple CMS platforms, themes, and hosting environments. The result isn’t just brand inconsistency. It’s governance gaps, accessibility risk, analytics fragmentation, duplicated spend, and organizational fatigue.

The University’s web presence is supported and sustained by a broad network of professionals — communicators, developers, marketers, designers, content owners, and service leaders — each contributing in meaningful but often distributed ways.

In today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape, IT professionals thrive not only through technical expertise but through strong, supportive communities. This session explores how intentional networking, peer collaboration, and professional development pathways can accelerate career growth and elevate entire organizations.

Discover how Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini can make your workday a little smarter and a lot easier. In this session, you will explore key features of both tools, learn when and how to use AI responsibly at Penn State, and practice turning vague prompts into great ones. Perfect for anyone curious about using Copilot and Gemini without feeling overwhelmed! Feel free to bring your laptop and follow along throughout the session.

In this session, I'll share the current state of Penn State's Design System, highlighting how it has grown and showcasing components/pages in production across the University's web ecosystem. Outcomes include a greater understanding of where we are, where we're going, and how we plan to prioritize both the user and authoring experiences along the way.