The TechEd Podcast
The TechEd Podcast sits at the intersection of technology, industry, innovation and the people who make progress possible. Hosted by Matt Kirchner, each episode features builders, executives, educators, and policymakers shaping what’s next—AI, automation, advanced manufacturing, energy, and the systems behind them.
If you care about the future of work, the future of tech, and how talent actually gets built, you’re in the right place.
Episodes
263 episodes
How to Stay Sharper Longer: The New Science of Brain Aging and Dementia Prevention - Dr. Christin Glorioso, CEO of NeuroAge Therapeutics
Imagine being able to track your brain health before serious decline sets in, understand your personal risk factors, and intervene early enough to help prevent dementia rather than simply react to it.In this episode of The TechEd Pod...
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Episode 262
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46:49
The AI Boom is Forcing a Reckoning on Risk and Regulation - Patrick Sullivan, VP of Strategy & Innovation at A-LIGN
Artificial intelligence is moving from novel feature to core infrastructure, and that shift is forcing companies, schools and regulators to confront a harder question than how to use the technology: how to govern it.In this episode of
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Episode 261
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54:08
Ask Us Anything: STEM Access, Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills & Lessons from the Manhattan Project
Are employers hurting themselves by only asking for 'soft skills' and ignoring their real technical needs? How can homeschool students get the same access to STEM labs as students in traditional schools? And what can education leaders learn fro...
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Episode 260
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44:27
Design, Diagnosis and Data: Where AI Is Already Reshaping the Skilled Trades - Dr. Andrew Neuendorf, Associate Dean at DMACC
What does the rise of AI mean for technical programs? Surprisingly, it's not a new concept to CTE fields. It is embedded in robotics, automation, diagnostics, and data modeling across modern manufacturing facilities today.In this episode...
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Episode 259
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53:52
The Rise of Verified Skills: How Trusted Credentials Create Real Workforce Value - Kathleen McNally, CEO of NOCTI
The labor market is evolving faster than traditional signals of competence can keep up. Roles are shifting, technology is accelerating, and employers are searching for clearer ways to identify real capability. In that environment, degrees remai...
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Episode 258
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58:51
For Young Professionals, Workplace Courtesy Is No Longer a Given
Over the past several years, many leaders have noticed a subtle but meaningful shift inside their organizations: the erosion of basic workplace courtesies, particularly from younger employees new to the professional workplace. Not misconduct; n...
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Episode 257
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26:18
Career Exploration Without Barriers: A Middle & High School J-Term Experiment - Josh Davis & Melissa Phillips, Camanche CSD
Imagine giving middle and high school students a full week to explore careers without grades, homework, or “regular” classes. That’s the core idea behind Camanche Community School District's J-term: a dedicated pause in the academic grind that ...
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Episode 256
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46:47
You Don't Have a Data Problem. You Have an Intelligence Problem - The Hive Health
Your organization doesn’t have a data problem. It has an intelligence problem: the gap between having information and being able to act on it with speed, clarity, and confidence. That gap shows up everywhere: hospitals, schools, manufacturers, ...
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Episode 255
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1:02:15
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Energy Dominance, Critical Minerals, and Intelligence Factories
The U.S. Department of the Interior manages the nation’s most consequential assets—public lands and waters, energy resources, and critical minerals—making it a crucial center for AI capabilities, national security, and workforce opportun...
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Episode 254
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51:50
Cultural Mapping: How to Build Trust and Influence In Your Organization - Dr. Ben Johnson and Bobby Dodd
Most leaders have a vision, a plan, and the authority to move it forward, but real momentum shows up when you understand how culture is being shaped through trust and influence behind the scenes.Host Matt Kirchner sits down with Dr. Ben ...
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Episode 253
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48:23
Reframing Higher Education: A Connected Model for Colleges and Universities - Dr. Katherine Frank & Dr. Sunem Beaton-Garcia
Higher education is shifting toward a connected model where colleges and universities function as one learner ecosystem. The goal is simple: make credentials stackable, transfer predictable, and pathways flexible enough for learners to move in ...
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Episode 252
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54:08
How Amazon Trains the Techs that Keep their Automated Facilities Running - Amanda Willard & Logan Schulz, Amazon RME
What actually happens inside those massive Amazon facilities—and how do products arrive at your door with such astonishing speed?In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner explores these questions with Aman...
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Episode 251
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48:09
The Rise of State-Backed VC: Michigan’s Bet on Emerging Entrepreneurs - Pete Martin, MSU Research Foundation and Alison Todak, MEDC
With states stepping directly into the venture capital arena, a major shift is underway in how early-stage companies are funded—and where the next generation of innovation will be built.In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, hos...
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Episode 250
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47:35
13 Predictions for Technical Education in 2026
With the pace of change in technology, geopolitics, infrastructure, and the economy, what should technical educators and workforce leaders be watching most closely in 2026?In this year’s annual Predictions episode, host Matt Kirchner sha...
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Episode 249
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1:13:53
Ask Us Anything: Workforce ROI, AI Hallucinations, and the 5 Pillars of World-Class CTE
Watch the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/f5gWUVQI0jIMelissa Martin and Matt Kirchner are back to answer your questions, covering everything from university curriculum design, to AI in the ...
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Episode 248
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46:40
At the Reagan Ranch: The Life & Legacy of One of America's Greatest Presidents - Scott Walker, President of Young America's Foundation
The clearest way to understand Ronald Reagan’s leadership may not be from a podium, but from a saddle, a woodpile, and a quiet table where he worked through the ideas that shaped an era.In this on-location episode of The TechEd Podca...
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Episode 247
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1:00:12
Using Values and Customer Experience to Guide an AI and Data-Driven Strategy - Irv and Ryan Blumkin, Chairman and EVP of Nebraska Furniture Mart
In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner sits down with Irv Blumkin, Chairman of Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM), and Ryan Blumkin, Executive Vice President, to unpack nearly 90 years of retail innovation, from Mrs. B’s ...
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Episode 246
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54:26
Six Days in China: The Speed, Scale and Strategy Outpacing U.S. Innovation - Todd Wanek, CEO of Ashley Furniture
What if you could get a behind the scenes look at China's most innovative tech companies, factories and logistics hubs—seeing how they really run and asking the questions most Americans never get to ask?This week, you do. Matt Kirchner a...
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Episode 245
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1:01:52
Applied AI on the Edge Proves There’s More to AI Than ChatGPT - Brian Cavanaugh, CEO of VigilanteX
With artificial intelligence stepping off the laptop and out onto job sites, factory floors, and flight decks, are we preparing students for the AI that sees, senses, and acts in the real world, not just the kind that...
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Episode 244
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46:28
What Is Your Region's Economic DNA? Lessons for CTE from an Aviation High School - Adam Snoddy, Principal of Butler Tech Aviation Center
How can CTE listen to regional economic and workforce needs and build a vision so big that others can't help but support it?Watch this episode on YouTube Matt Kirchner sits do...
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Episode 243
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55:23
Technical Colleges: Breaking Generational Poverty and Building Economic Mobility - Dr. Anthony Cruz, President of MATC
With technical colleges serving as the front line for breaking generational poverty, one question rises to the surface: how do we design education that truly creates economic mobility?In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host ...
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Episode 242
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53:38
Moving from “Just-in-Case” Education to a Demand-Driven, Industry-Led Model — Paul Lavoie, VP of the University of New Haven
Higher education can’t keep teaching “just in case” knowledge. In an era where technology evolves faster than curriculum, universities must align directly with industry needs — and that’s exactly what Paul Lavoie is doing at the University of N...
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Episode 241
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54:38
How to Get Started with AI in Your Business (Practical Tips & Real Technologies) - Part 2
Watch this episode on YouTube! https://youtu.be/UbNr7vF4CC8?si=VqX2owW86GNq7OdsWhat does it really take to get started with artificial intelligence in a small or mid-sized company right here in the U.S.?In Part 2 of this two-part ...
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Episode 240
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47:22
How to Get Started with AI in Your Business (Practical Tips & Real Technologies) - Part 1
What does it really take to get started with artificial intelligence in a small or mid-sized company right here in the U.S.?We're breaking it down in this two-part series.In part 1, Matt Kirchner shares lessons from his recent t...
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Episode 239
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52:52
The $1 Trillion Workforce Opportunity for Rural Education - Duwain Pinder, Partner at McKinsey & Company
Rural America is on the brink of an economic transformation. With more than $1 trillion in advanced manufacturing investments (and nearly two-thirds of that flowing into rural regions) this moment represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity t...
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Episode 238
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49:34