Equipped to Communicate: Timothy Albright ’11 Amplifies His Calling Through Technology
Published: November 06, 2025
Author: Liz Dowell
When Timothy Albright ’11 first joined his church’s youth production team in Alton, Il, he didn’t know he was stepping into his life’s work. The lights, the sound, the energy of what he calls “church rock and roll” captured him early.
What began as volunteering behind a soundboard grew into a lifelong calling. One that has blended faith, communication, and technology into a career influencing thousands.
Albright, founder of AVNation, an award-winning media company serving the audio-visual (AV) industry, has spent more than a decade helping people use technology to connect a purpose.
He calls his journey “a meandering one,” but looking back, he sees how each turn prepared him for the next step.
“I wouldn’t say God called me to it directly,” Albright said. “But He equipped me to do it.”
Finding the Frequency
After earning his associate degree at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, IL, Albright sought a way to complete his bachelor’s without uprooting his young family. Greenville University’s Organizational Leadership program offered the perfect fit.
Through a partnership that held evening classes on the Lewis and Clark campus, Albright joined a cohort of professionals balancing jobs, parenting, and coursework.
“It checked a lot of boxes,” he said. “I had two very young kids, and I didn’t have the time or energy to drive to a traditional four-year campus. Greenville met us where we were.”
Albright said he felt seen at GU. His psychology professor showed genuine interest in his students and studies. That attention to relationships, both human and professional, became foundational to Albright’s approach in the AV world.
"Every single course we took gave us practical experience," he said. "We were adults learning from other adults. One person worked at Target, another in an office, and I worked at a community college. Those conversations became part of the education.”
Building Something Bigger
After completing his bachelor’s in 2011, Albright launched AVNation, initially as a side project designed to educate and connect professionals in the AV field. “Starting a business is deceptively easy,” he said with a laugh. “Keeping it going was the hard part.”
For four years, AVNation was a part-time project before becoming a full-time endeavor. By 2015, Albright and his team were producing podcasts, articles, and industry insights consumed by thousands of listeners and readers. Their mission: to educate, inform, and connect.
In 2021, the company was acquired by Conference Technologies, Inc. (CTI), a St. Louis-based integrator. “It’s a little strange to see your ‘baby’ in someone else’s hands,” he admitted, “but I’ve learned so much from people who are better at business than I am. I’m a content creator - that’s where I thrive.”
That humility, paired with curiosity, has become a hallmark of Albright’s career. In June 2025, he was inducted into the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HETMA) Hall of Fame. A recognition he calls “completely unexpected” but deeply meaningful. “It’s humbling,” he said. “It means the work mattered.”
Navigating New Tools—and New Ethics
When Albright speaks at conferences, from Las Vegas to Amsterdam, he champions both innovation and responsibility in the growing realm of artificial intelligence. “AI is a fantastic tool,” he said. “But it’s just that, a tool. You must use it wisely.”
He often advises churches and organizations to treat AI as "an unpaid intern." It can help with planning and organization but should never replace an authentic human connection. “If you’re not leveraging it, you’re not being a good steward of your resources,” he said. “But you still must trust and verify. Always.”
His focus on ethics resonates with Greenville’s values of stewardship and discernment. “Technology should help us serve people better,” Albright said. “The more high-tech we get, the more high touch we need to become.”
Teaching the Next Generation
Whether he’s training volunteers at church or mentoring young AV professionals, Albright emphasizes patience, practice, and grace. “It’s okay not to know things,” he said. “No one starts as an expert. You learn, you fail, you grow. That’s the process.”
He encourages students who want to use technology for storytelling or ministry to dive in fearlessly. But wisely.
"Do it," he said. Humans are content-consuming machines. "Use the gifts you have, music - video, writing - to tell stories that connect and inspire.”
And for those hesitant to start, his advice is simple but firm. “Life is both short and long,” he said. “Don’t wait for the perfect time. It’ll never come. Try the thing. Fail at it if you must. But don’t let fear stop you.”
The Signal Continues
Today, Albright continues his work with CTI and remains a recognized voice across the AV industry, balancing conference travel with family life and faith. He still sees his mission as one of communication. It connects people and purpose through sound, light, and story.
From that first youth-group soundboard to international speaking stages, Albright’s journey reflects what Greenville University celebrates in its alumni: a life of service, leadership, and calling lived out through the tools of the modern world.
