2019 Conference Schedule
Session Descriptions | Speaker Bios

Sunday, July 21, 2019

11:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Conference Check-in - Palm Court Ballroom, Mayflower Hotel
When you first arrive, stop by the conference registration table to check-in, pick up your conference packet, and sign up for group dining.

2:00 p.m.

Monument Walk (an informal Excursion for early arrivals) 
Optional & No Tickets Required 

Conference Committee Member Sarah Smith will lead attendees for a walk to see DC’s monuments and historic buildings along the National Mall. Please meet in the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel. 

4:30 p.m.

New ACSN Member Welcome with ACSN leadership
Mezzanine of Mayflower Hotel

5:30 p.m. 

Welcome Reception and ACSN Conference Kick-off
Mezzanine of Mayflower Hotel

6:30 p.m.

Group Dinners (various locations)
Enjoy a night out in DC with fellow conference attendees. Sign up for dinner reservations during the Kick-off Reception. All selected restaurants are within walking distance or a short cab or Uber ride from the hotel.

(This meal is not included in conference registration.)

Monday, July 22, 2019

 7:00 a.m.

Morning Walk & Run Club (Optional) | Meet in the lobby of the Mayflower  Led by Johnathan Luster and Kristine Thody

7:30 a.m. - Noon

Conference Check-in / Swag Table Drop-off | Palm Court Ballroom
If you are just arriving, stop by the conference registration table to check-in and pick up your conference packet. Drop off a swag item from your school for the annual swag swap table.  Throughout the conference, listen for your number to be called (on the back of your name tag) to “shop” the swag table.

8:00 a.m. Breakfast and Round Table Networking | State Ballroom
8:45 a.m. 

Official Conference Welcome  | State Ballroom
ACSN President Kristine Thody and 2019 Conference Co-Chairs Kate Schuster and Michael Steelman will officially welcome attendees to D.C. and the 14th annual gathering of those providing career services to alumni.

9:00 a.m. 

Opening Keynote:

"Flashes of Genius - Learning the Art and Science of Creativity"

Allen Gannett, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive VP, Corporate Development at Skyword; and Author, "The Creative Curve" 
(a free copy of Allen's book will be provided for all registrants).

10:15 a.m.

Break

10:30 a.m. 

Round Table Discussions | State Ballroom

 (Two sessions with same table topics both sessions)

 

How to Create a Bespoke Mentoring Program in Ten Steps

 

Leveraging a collaboration-based approach to scale digital career programming

 

Campus Partner Engagement

 

Pre-tirement and Beyond! Moving into the Next Phase of Your Professional Life for your Clients and Yourself

 

What Recipe for Success Will You Be?

 

LinkedIn Resistance: Helping Alumni Overcome a Reluctance to Network Online

 

Launching a Student-Alumni Mentor Program

 

Womxn of Emerson: Representation and the Career Narrative

 

@LifeAfterWake: Creating a Social Media Strategy for Alumni Engagement

 

Counselor, advisor, or coach: Which one are you? The differences, similarities and best of each approach

 

Counseling Away-Taking Career Counseling on the Road

 

Unmasking Career Shame: Restoring Hope through Coaching

 

Artificial Intelligence & The Changing Job Market

 

How to create an alumni travel experience around shared purpose and sustainable impact.

 

Common Misconceptions about Mentoring

 

Lessons from 10 Years of Alumni Mentoring 

11:30 a.m.

Group Photo | hotel lobby

11:45 a.m.

Small Group Lunches
Conference attendees are invited to explore D.C. and network with conference participants by choosing a group to go to lunch within the city.

(This meal is not included in conference registration.
)

1:15 p.m.

Members arrive back in the hotel  

1:30 p.m.

Breakout Sessions (4 options) | 2nd Floor of the Mayflower Hotel 

Create a Robust Alumni Career Ambassadors Program & 5 Ways to Engage Alumni Online
Presented by: Yuliya Dennis, Oregon State University
Location: Pennsylvania Room

Advocating, Advising and Coaching Diverse Alumni Populations for Career Transitions
Presented by: Kyle Younger, Seton Hall
Location: Georgia Room

Designing Your Life
Presented by Matthew Temple, Kellogg School of Management
Location: Rhode Island Room

Meeting Alumni Career Needs at Scale throughout the Career Life Cycle
Presented by: Russ Finkelstein and Elliott Brown, ClearlyNext
Location: New Jersey Room 

2:30 p.m.

Networking Break and Vendor Visits | Palm Court Ballroom 

3:00 p.m. 

Employer Panel | State Ballroom 

Topic: Inclusion and Culture

Panelists:

LaDavia S. Drane
Diversity & Inclusion | Public Policy | Amazon

Clara Landry
Federal Inclusion & Diversity Leader at Accenture Federal Services

Stephen Leach
Manager of Workforce Diversity and Inclusion at Nestle USA

Moderator: Karen Coltrane, CEO of Leadership Center for Excellence

 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Signature Excursion 

See the splendor of the National Mall at night and enjoy dinner at a local DC favorite! We'll take a hop-on-hop-off open-topped double decker bus tour around the National Mall to see DC's most iconic landmarks (Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, etc.), followed by dinner at Mission Dupont Circle. The bus tour will depart from the Mayflower Hotel at 5pm (buses begin boarding at 4:30pm), and will conclude at Mission at 7pm. Dinner will be from 7:00-9:00pm.

Dinner included in conference registration

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

7:00 a.m.

Morning Walk & Run Club (Optional) | Meet in the lobby of the Mayflower  Led by Johnathan Luster and Kristine Thody

8:00 a.m.

Breakfast and Round Table Networking  | State Ballroom

9:00 a.m. 

Keynote  | State Ballroom (lobby level)

"The Coming Era of Human Capital Campaigns and the Evolving Nature of Alumni Career Resources"  

Brandon Busteed, President, Kaplan University Partners and formerly a Partner at Gallup and Executive Director of Education and Workforce Development
10:15 a.m.

Break

10:30 a.m.

Breakout Sessions (3 options) | 2nd floor of the Mayflower Hotel

Innovate and Advance your Program with Data
Presented by : Cindy Hyman, University of Denver and Melissa Turk, Carnegie Mellon
Location: Pennsylvania Room

Serving Alumni Career Changers at Scale
Presented by: Amanda Panarese, University of Virginia, Emma Maynard, James Madison University, Erica Soultanian, Mission Collaborative, Michael Steelman, William & Mary, and Latisha Taylor, Virginia Commonwealth University
Location: Georgia Room

Welcome 2 the Jungle
Presented by: Jesse Ross, The Minneapolis Foundation
Location: Rhode Island Room

11:30 a.m. Break
11:45 a.m.

Lunch & Learn | State Ballroom

Lunch included in conference registration.

1:15 p.m.

Break

1:30 p.m.

Breakout Sessions (4 options) | 2nd floor of the Mayflower Hotel

A Train-the-Trainer Model for Delivering a Peer-to-Peer Career & Learning Circle Program for Alumni Clients
Presented by: Tammy Halstead, Franklin & Marshall
Location: Pennsylvania Room

You are a Small Business; Developing a Strategic Plan for your Alumni Career Development Program
Presented by Maura Sweeney, College of Holy Cross
Location: Georgia Room

Closing the Mentoring Gap
Presented by: Anita Ponchione, George Washington University, Michael McKenzie, George Washington University, Sarah Smith, Adam Saven
Location: Rhode Island Room

Scaling Regional Career Programming for Young Alumni Without Breaking the Bank
Presented by: Akshar Patel , Illinois Institute of Technology, John Knific, Wisr
Location: New Jersey Room

 

2:30 p.m.

Snack Break | Palm Court Ballroom

3:00 p.m.

"Innovate, Impact, Influence" Concluding Activity | State Ballroom

Moderator: Patrick Fligge, Muhlenberg College

4:00 p.m.

Announcement of 2020 Conference Location | State Ballroom

7:00 p.m.

All School Alumni Networking Dessert Reception | State Ballroom

ACSN will be hosting an alumni networking night at the conclusion of the conference. Take advantage of this opportunity to bring together your local alumni with alumni from other ACSN schools.

If you plan on marketing this event to your alumni, please be sure to email Michelle Murphy at [email protected]

7:00 pm – Doors open for Networking; Dessert provided and cash bar available
7:30 pm – Program begins, "Gain Career Momentum" presented by Wisr
8:30 pm – Networking – Find others from the DMV area who work in your industry
9:00 pm – Event Concludes

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