EdTech Connect Podcast

Episode: From Fortune 100 to Higher Ed: Lessons in AI, Innovation and Vendor Partnerships
Host: Jeff Dillon
Guest: Jenny Lee Morris, Technology Strategist at Doctums
Date: September 5, 2025
Apple Podcasts Ranking: #9 in Education

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Jeff Dillon interviews technology strategist Jenny Lee Morris about her transition from working with Fortune 100 businesses to advising higher education institutions. The conversation explores how lessons from the private sector—especially in the use of AI, innovation, and the management of vendor partnerships—can and should influence the way colleges and universities approach modernization, edtech selection, and project management. Jenny draws on her unique background, including early work in AI training and system implementations, to offer actionable insights on improving student and staff experiences through better technology adoption and partnerships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI’s Impact on Consulting & Higher Ed’s Operating Models

• AI is changing the landscape of consulting and implementation in higher ed. While AI tools can accelerate processes (like testing and documentation), seasoned experts are still vital for oversight and strategy.
  • Quote (Jenny, 03:37):
    “AI is like your tireless junior consultant...but you still need oversight.”
• The traditional billable-hour consulting model may evolve or even become obsolete, possibly replaced by value-based pricing.
  • Quote (Jenny, 03:37):
    “We might see value based pricing, we might see the death of the billable hour.”

2. Adopting Private Sector Innovation in Higher Ed

• Competition: Hyper-competition due to tech acceleration means colleges must identify and exploit their unique strengths—mimicking how businesses focus on core advantages.
  • Quote (Jenny, 05:00):
    “What industry does really well is to laser focus in on their particular competitive advantage and exploit that.”
• Experimentation: Higher ed should borrow industry habits: A/B testing, user feedback, and rapid iterative strategy. Too often, projects get bogged down in long feedback cycles and consensus-building that widen instead of clarify scope.
  • Quote (Jenny, 05:00):
    “Failing fast, trying things, testing it instead of running one ad…run five, see what works, amplify that.”

3. Overcoming Organizational Bottlenecks and Scope Creep

• Projects can stall due to “the dilemma of niceness”—trying to include every stakeholder’s wish rather than focusing on clear goals.
  • Quote (Jenny, 07:04):
    “You end up with an RFP or a project scope that's just a kitchen sink."
• True modernization comes from talking directly to students/faculty and sticking closely to defined goals, not bloated wish lists.
  • Quote (Jenny, 08:44):
    "If you are trying to make the student experience better, what better thing to do than to actually talk to the students and not make assumptions?"

4. Improving the Vendor Selection & Buying Process

• Vendor relationships often lack clear, timely communication. Institutions frequently ghost vendors or fail to structure pilots in a way that produces useful feedback.
  • Quote (Jenny, 10:15):
    “It's worse than dating. You're wondering what the heck happened?”
• Jenny argues for structured, intentional pilots (“together alone” testing sessions) with defined criteria and real-time feedback, not vague sandboxes.
  • Quote (Jenny, 14:08):
    “A highly structured intentional pilot is really key...people are so bombarded with things to do and can't get [to testing].”
• Schools should avoid sprawling “all-in-one” vendor pitches and instead focus on vendors who align closely with prioritized needs.

5. Balancing Innovation & Risk with Newer Vendors

• There’s value in working with newer, smaller vendors: more negotiating leverage, influence on product direction, and the chance to play a role in beta testing.
  • Quote (Jenny, 21:03):
    “If you are going with a new company, you're taking a risk. So what kind of leverage does that give you at the negotiating table?”
• But institutions must assess appetite for risk and ensure they’re prepared for close partnership.

6. Streamlining Procurement & Decision-Making

• Higher ed decision cycles frequently stretch 18–24 months due to complex processes and siloed teams.
  • Quote (Jeff, 23:48):
    “What they realize is these higher ed decision cycles can stretch for 18 to 24 months.”
• Jenny suggests more workshops with defined outcomes, sharper stakeholder mapping, and empowering cross-functional teams (especially marketers with technical skills) to accelerate cycles.
  • Quote (Jenny, 23:56):
    “It only takes one or two courageous individuals to lead a charge…how can you shorten that time frame and maybe just do a workshop and say at the end of this workshop we're going to have a decision and outcome?”

7. Performance-Based Vendor Management

• Higher ed traditionally manages vendors for basic compliance, not for true performance. Drawing on her Fortune 100 experience, Jenny suggests:
  • Set clear, measurable outcomes from the start.
  • Raise issues early if vendors are underperforming—don’t be afraid to pivot or demand accountability.
  • Shed the mindset of sunk cost fallacy and focus on results for the institution.
  • Quote (Jenny, 27:25):
    “If you notice things are not going the way that you want them to go, [raise that] early and often… we're all here with a job to do. And if you're hiring an expert in their field, they should deliver upon that expertise.”

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On AI’s limits:
  • Jenny (00:00): “I was working with ChatGPT to do my time zone conversions and it totally messed up… So it's an amazing tool, but we still need that oversight.”
• Higher Ed Scope Creep:
  • Jenny (07:04): “At the end of the day you end up with an RFP or a project scope that's just a kitchen sink.”
• Vendor Ghosting:
  • Jenny (10:15): “It's worse than dating… Just let them know.”
• Intentional Pilots:
  • Jenny (14:08): “I like to call [pilots] 'together alone', which is just scheduling time where people…try whatever sandbox environment is prepared in real time.”
• Importance of Storytelling:
  • Jenny (22:35): “There’s such a value in storytelling and I don't think that…is going away no matter what happens in terms of technological developments.”
• On Courageous Leadership:
  • Jenny (23:56): “It only takes one or two courageous individuals to lead a charge.”

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:00–03:24: Opening on AI’s role and its impact on consulting models in higher ed
• 05:00–06:50: Lessons higher ed can learn from private sector: competition and experimentation
• 07:04–08:44: Managing feedback cycles, avoiding scope creep, and keeping focus
• 10:15–15:50: Redesigning the vendor experience and structuring successful pilot programs
• 16:05–18:39: What to look for in long-term vendor partnerships
• 18:39–22:35: Working with emerging vendors and the value of storytelling in tech adoption
• 23:48–26:56: Streamlining the procurement and decision-making process within higher ed
• 27:25–28:46: Managing vendors for performance like Fortune 100 companies

Final Takeaways

• AI and technological disruption demand a rethink of old consulting and procurement models.
• Higher education can sharpen its edge by borrowing private sector practices: clear focus on differentiators, rapid experimentation, and iterative improvement.
• Both vendors and institutions benefit from transparent, intentional communication and commitment to partnership.
• Real change agents are those willing to speak plainly, act decisively, and refuse to let processes stall due to tradition or fear of friction.

For more insights or to connect with Jenny Lee Morris, check the show notes for her LinkedIn and Doctums company website.