ACSN 2026

Draft Agenda

Sunday, July 19, 2026

5:00 PM
ACSN Board Meeting
Location: TBD

6:30 PM
Dinner for Early Arrivals
Location: TBD (Offsite)


Monday, July 20, 2026

9:00 AM
Continental breakfast available for pre-conference attendees only
Location: Atrium

9:00 AM
Registration Check-In Open
Location: Atrium

10:00 AM
Pre-Conference Workshop
Make Work Human: Building Individual and Team Capacity in the Future of Work
Allison McWilliams, Ph.D., Assistant VP, Mentoring and Alumni Personal & Career Development, Wake Forest University
Location: Ballroom A or C

12:00 PM
Lunch available for pre-conference attendees and early arrivals
Location: The Marketplace

1:15 PM
Conference Kickoff
Location: Ballroom C

1:45 PM
Keynote
Sponsored by Mission Collaborative
Proactive Networking: Exact Instructions for Boosting Visibility and Advocacy on the Job
Steve Dalton, Founder & CEO, Contact2Colleague, Author and Professional Speaker
Location: Ballroom C

2:45 PM
Facilitated Networking and Newcomer’s Session
Location: Ballroom C

3:30 PM
Break/Sponsor Visits
Location: Atrium

3:45 PM
Breakout Session 1

Bridging the Gap: Industry-Aligned Career Development at NJIT
John Borgese, Associate Director, Alumni Career and Industry Engagement, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
Location: Ballroom A

Connecting With Alumni in Their “What’s Next”: A Simple Framework That Gives Career Tools a Place to Land
Cheryl Bonner, Director, Alumni Career Services, Penn State Alumni Association
Location: Ballroom B

Connecting the Campus: Launching an Internal Career Conference for Alumni & Student Success
Becky Spaulding, Director of Alumni Career & Professional Development,
University of Tennessee Foundation, Inc.
Sierra Stubblefield, Assistant Director of EMBA,MBA and Alumni Career Services, Duke University - Fuqua School of Business
Location: Ballroom C

4:45 PM
Break
Optional Campus Tour

6:30 PM
Optional Offsite Small Group Dinners
Sign up in the Whova App


Tuesday, July 21, 2026

7:00 AM
Optional Group Walk/Run

8:00 AM
Breakfast
Location: The Marketplace

Registration Open
Location: Atrium

9:00 AM
Welcome
Location: Ballroom C

9:15 AM
Plenary Session
Sponsored by People Grove
Beyond the Fear: Helping Clients Navigate Mid-Career AI Anxiety with Confidence and Compassion 
LaVonne James, President, AI4 Career Success
Location: Ballroom C

10:15 AM
Break/Sponsor Visits
Location: Atrium

10:30 AM
Breakout Session 2

Content + Connections: Building Alumni Career Support through In-Person Industry-Focused Programming
Eric Hunter, Senior Associate Director of Alumni Networks, University of Richmond
Location: Ballroom A

Increase Your Clicks + Views: Strategies for Driving Alumni Awareness, Career Education, and Engagement Online
Lauren Beam, Director, Mentoring and Alumni Personal & Career Development, Wake Forest University
Location: Ballroom B

Creating and Sustaining an Alumni Workplace Engagement Program by Solving For Three Big Challenges 
Jackie O'Leary, Associate Director, Alumni Career Engagement, Temple University
Cara Folk, Director of Corporate and Industry Alumni Engagement University of Maryland Alumni Association
Location: Ballroom C

11:30 AM

Awards Presentation
Sponsored by Casey Creative
Swag Swap
Location: Ballroom C

12:15 PM
Lunch
Location: The Marketplace

1:30 PM
Sponsor Roundtables
Location: Ballroom C

2:30 PM
Breakout Session 3

Beyond the Job Board: Unlocking the Hidden 80% of Opportunities for Alumni
Kevin Wu, President, Career Shift
Paul Pausky, Assistant Managing Director, Former Student Career Services, Texas A&M
Location: Ballroom A

Empowering Alumni Through Shared Learning: The Villanova Job Search Club Model for Modern Career Support 
Casey Hilferty, Associate Director, Career Management, Villanova University
Location: Ballroom B

Vision & Strategy: Who Has Time for It?
Jessica Pitcher, Associate Director, Alumni Career Services Syracuse University
Location: Ballroom C

3:30 PM
Break/Sponsor Visits
Location: Atrium

3:45 PM
Roundtables
Location: Ballroom C

Building Career Content Into On-Campus Traditions
Wendy Coakley, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement for Career Connections, Williams College

Born of Necessity: Resources for Public Service Alums in 2025
Allison Besch, Director, Career and Professional Development Center, Duke University

From Data to Delivery: Shaping the 3-Year Roadmap for Alumni Career Services
Tracy Murray, Corporate Development & Alumni Career Programs Manager, University of California, Santa Cruz

The Quiet Edge
Terrence Hood, Associate Director, Alumni & Student-Athletes, Texas Christian University

One Office, One Journey: Unifying Alumni and Career Services from Day One
Stephanie Koontz, AVP, Alumni & Career Connections, Walsh University

Career Communities - Supporting Students and Alums Based on Industry Interest
Kate Sawicki, Director of Lifelong Learning, Careers and Affinity, Alum Association of Mount Holyoke College

Turning Career Data into Action: Building Campus Partnerships to Support Alumni Careers Initiatives
Crystal Parker, Program Coordinator,
Sam Parham, Business Analyst
Duke University

5:00 PM
Break/Sponsor Visits
Location: Atrium

5:30 PM
Transportation to Hi-Wire Brewing
Location: Front of J.B. Duke Hotel

6:00 PM
Offsite Event at Hi-Wire Brewing
Sponsored by Gravyty
Food & Drink
Networking & Trivia

9:00 PM
Transportation to JB Duke


Wednesday, July 22, 2026

8:00 AM
Breakfast
Location: The Marketplace

9:00 AM
Annual Meeting
2027 Conference Location Announcement
Location: Ballroom C

10:00 AM
Breakout Session 4

Designing the Web: Laying the Foundation for Alumni Connections and Career Conversations 
Sabrina Broderick, Assistant Director, Mentoring and Alumni Personal & Career Development, Wake Forest University
Location: Ballroom A

Give Support, Get Support: A Strategic Approach to Balancing Alumni Career Guidance with Partnership Opportunities
Liz Foster, Associate Director, Alumni/Family Partnerships & Outreach, Dartmouth College
Leyou Belayneh, Associate Director, Career & Life Design Coaching, Dartmouth College
Location: Ballroom B

Designing Career Experiences Alumni Actually Want: A Blueprint for Engagement
Amy Gamblin, Associate Director, Alumni Career Services, University of Kentucky
Jennifer Duncan, Alumni Career Services Program Manager, University of Colorado Boulder 
Location: Ballroom C

11:00 AM
Break/Sponsor Visits
Location: Atrium

11:15 AM
Closing Workshop
Design Thinking as a Catalyst for Turning Silos into Shared Solutions
Alissa Clark, Director, Alumni Career Solutions, University of Pittsburgh
Alex Beard, Associate Director, Alumni Career Development, William & Mary
Sam Schumacher, Solutions Consultant, Mural
Location: Ballroom C

12:15 PM
Lunch 
Location: The Marketplace

Adjourn
See You in 2027!