After college, a technology career wasn’t on Brian Fraser’s bingo card. The public policy major spent the first decade of his work life in government affairs. But, he says, he was always adept at tech: “Somehow, I became the person both at work and in my family who people turned to when something needed to be fixed or figured out.”
Today, as the International Sleep Products Association’s director of technology, Fraser oversees all systems, data, and tools and ensures any technology is reliable, secure, and easy to use. This is especially important because most ISPA staff work remotely across the country. “It wasn’t a path I mapped out from the beginning,” he says, “but it has turned out to be a natural fit—and one that continues to evolve.”
BedTimes: What drew you to the mattress industry?
Brian Fraser: I started at ISPA in 2017 as the program manager for industry statistics and was thrust into the technology side of the organization during the beginning of COVID-19. Early on, Chief Marketing Officer Mary Helen Rogers told me that once you get involved with this industry and this association, you never really leave. Nearly 10 years later, I’d say she was absolutely right.
BT: What’s something unique about ISPA that people might not know?
BF: While it has remained a relatively small association over the years, many staff members have been here for decades—some for nearly 30 years. I’ll be celebrating 10 years this January and still feel like one of the younger members of the team. What stands out most, though, is how collaborative the organization is across departments. Because we’re a small team, membership, event planning, marketing, and statistics often become true group efforts, with people stepping in wherever needed.
BT: What is one of the most exciting projects you’ve accomplished at ISPA?
BF: One of the most exciting and rewarding periods was helping guide ISPA’s technology transition during the early years of COVID-19. Moving on-premises systems, workflows, and staff into a more flexible, remote-friendly environment was a major challenge, but it also laid the foundation for how we operate today.
Since then, I’ve worked on modernizing how we store and manage data, improving cloud collaboration and security, supporting the rollout of Microsoft 365 tools, and helping staff adopt new technologies in practical ways. A lot of the role also involves quietly improving things behind the scenes—whether that’s refining access controls, troubleshooting issues, or simply making sure technology just works so staff can stay focused on their jobs.
BT: Can you share a few details about your family and personal life?
BF: I’ve lived in Virginia my entire life, attending Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., before going on to James Madison University. Today, I live in Falls Church with my wife, Trish—we celebrated 12 years this past June—and our two daughters, Lilly, 7, and Caroline, 5, who keep life busy, loud, and entertaining. Lilly is very much the rule-following first child, while Caroline fully embraces the second-child wild card role.
Growing up, my father was an ophthalmologist, and my mother worked in his office as a patient counselor. I have two older brothers and a sister, all of whom still live in the Northern Virginia area. Family—and free babysitters!—have always been close by.
One of my favorite childhood stories is that my father usually coached my baseball teams in one form or another. Before each season, in an effort to give us a competitive edge, he’d have the whole team come into his office for eye exams. I still remember him breaking the news to 10-year-old Mike Waldron that he needed glasses.
BT: What hobbies or passions do you have outside of work?
BF: I spend a lot of time with my family, usually searching for the next playground or park to help the kids burn off some energy. Like a lot of people, I’m also always trying to get a little better at golf. Over the last few years, I’ve gotten into bourbon collecting, which apparently is mandatory for guys when they turn 40. I’ve already made a trip down the bourbon trail, including a hard-hat tour at Buffalo Trace. Just last week, I won a lottery bottle from their Virginia sister site, A. Smith Bowman, which felt like a pretty good win.
BT: What’s something unique about you that people might not know?
BF: One thing people might not know about me is that I played baseball from childhood through high school and was fortunate to be part of a few state and high school championship teams along the way.
BT: How would you describe your personality?
BF: I’d describe myself as thoughtful and collaborative, with a sense of humor about the fact that technology can sometimes feel intimidating. I try to keep things light whenever I can. If someone runs into an issue, I’ll playfully ask whether they’ve tried the classic first steps—restart and check for updates. Even when they know that question is coming, the answer is often still “no.” More often than not, once someone starts to show me the problem, my presence alone seems to make it disappear.
BT: What is a book, podcast, or movie you enjoyed recently that you want to recommend to others?
BF: I’m the only guy in the house, so I’m regularly overruled when it comes to what’s on screen. On the kids’ side, I have no complaints about “Bluey” and will admit that I’ll occasionally put on an episode for myself. Outside of child programming, I’ve enjoyed watching “Shrinking” and “Your Friends and Neighbors” on Apple TV. Like a lot of people, I also end up rewatching older series, and “Justified” is one that’s easy to jump back into without a lot of catching up.
