Schedule

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Registration Open

12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

2026 Foundations of Transformation Cohort Convening
(By invitation only)

12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

Sustainable College-Chamber Partnerships Cohort Meeting
(By invitation only)

5:00–6:00 p.m.

Network Reception: 2026 Foundations of Transformation and Sustainable College-Chamber Partnerships Cohorts
(By invitation only)

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Registration Open

7:45 a.m.–2:15 p.m.

Digital Holistic Student Supports (DHSS) Cohort
(By invitation only)

9:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m.

Alliance Learner Success Implementation Cohort
(By invitation only)

9:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m.

Scaling Shortened Academic Terms (SSAT) Cohort
(By invitation only)

9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Presidents Strategy and Insight Session (By invitation only)

9:00 a.m. –2:00 p.m.

Sustainable College-Chamber Partnerships Cohort
(By invitation only)

1:00–2:30 p.m.

University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) Microcredential Information and Orientation Session

Presenters:

• Reynaldo Garcia, Ph.D., Professor and Program Director, Community College Policy and Administration, University of Maryland Global Campus
• Mandi Koch, Associate Director, Research and Assessment, Achieving the Dream

3:00–5:00 p.m.

Opening Workshop for All Attendees: From Assessment to Action: Data and AI Governance in Practice

Strong data and AI governance is essential for institutions seeking to make better decisions, build trust in their data, and adopt AI responsibly. In this interactive workshop, you will be introduced to a new higher education assessment tool co-designed by Achieving the Dream and DataKind, explore the seven domains of effective data and AI governance, compare centralized, federated, and hybrid governance models, and examine what mature governance looks like in practice. Using a realistic community college case study, you'll discuss how governance decisions are made across an institution and why effective data and AI governance requires a team approach.

You'll leave with:

• A practical understanding of the seven domains of data and AI governance
• An overview of centralized, federated, and hybrid governance models and when each may be appropriate
• Insights from the pilot implementation across four ATD Network colleges
• A clearer picture of what mature data and AI governance looks like and practical steps to advance your institution's governance journey

This applied session will help you put the right structures, shared responsibilities, and quality practices in place to govern data and AI effectively.

Presenters:

• Gregory Wolniak, Ph.D., Head of Education Initiatives, DataKind
• Shara Davis, Data & Analytics Summit Co-Chair, Achieving the Dream
• Laurie Heacock, Coach and 2026 Data Summit Co-Chair, Achieving the Dream

5:00-6:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception

Thursday, October 1, 2026

7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Registration Open

7:30–8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:30–9:30 a.m.

Opening Keynote Address
Building What’s Next: Digital Transformation and the Future of Community Colleges

Colleges are being asked to demonstrate their impact on student mobility and community vibrancy, often while still working to make sense of their own institutional data. Systems are aging out faster than budgets can replace them, and new tools, especially AI, bring policy and change management demands that most institutions aren't staffed to meet. In her first keynote as ATD's president and CEO, Lenore P. Rodicio, Ph.D., will share how ATD is responding through rapid-prototyping tools and assessments and will unveil how ATD's definitions of digital transformation and data sensemaking have evolved. She will close by inviting community colleges to view these definitions as a launch pad — testing them against their own experiences, helping ATD refine them, and using them to shape the tools colleges need to navigate what’s next.

Welcome Remarks

• Shara Davis, Data & Analytics Summit Co-Chair, Achieving the Dream
• Laurie Heacock, Data & Analytics Summit Co-Chair, Achieving the Dream

Presenter

• Lenore P. Rodicio, Ph.D., President and CEO, Achieving the Dream

9:30–11:00 a.m.

Plenary Session: Measuring Value — Voices From the Field

This plenary explores how colleges are defining and measuring value in ways that matter for students and communities. Through a conversation with leaders from the Federal Reserve and college presidents, the session highlights insights from the Community College Outcomes Survey and other emerging approaches to understanding post completion outcomes, economic mobility, and return on education.

Moderator:

• Lenore P. Rodicio, Ph.D., President and CEO, Achieving the Dream

Panelists:

• Stephanie Norris, Regional Economist and Director, Community College Initiative, Federal Reserve of Richmond
• Sandra Kurtinitis, Ph.D., President, Community College of Baltimore County
• Paula Pando, Ed.D. President, Reynolds Community College

11:00–11:30 a.m.

Coffee & Connections in the Learning Exchange

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Advancing Economic Mobility for Parents: Exploring Transfer Pathways to Bachelor’s Degree Attainment

Parents make up roughly one-quarter of community college students, yet their transfer and bachelor's degree attainment outcomes remain largely absent from research and policy discussions. This session will highlight an ongoing national study examining the transfer experiences of student parents as they move from community colleges to four-year institutions. Drawing on stakeholder interviews conducted with colleges and the broader study design, participants will explore the opportunities, challenges, and institutional conditions that shape successful transfer pathways for parenting students.

Presenters:

• Afet Dundar, Ph.D., Senior Research Director, Institute for Women's Policy Research
• Meredith Archer Hatch, Director, Network Relations, Achieving the Dream
• Donata Worrell, Ph.D., Director of Planning and Evaluation, Patrick & Henry Community College

Data Governance With Purpose

Hartnell College will showcase their data governance journey and process as a catalyst for student success. This session explores the structures, practices, and culture shifts that help teams use trusted data more consistently to guide institutional decisions and improve student outcomes.

Presenters:

• Gayle Pitman, Ph.D., President, Napa Valley College
• Layheng Ting, Ph.D., Director of Institutional Research, Hartnell College
• Leon Hill, Strategic Data and Technology Coach, Achieving the Dream

Deepening Insights on the Student Experience Using PDP Analysis-Ready Files

The Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP) Analysis-Ready Files contain a wealth of information, but many colleges are only scratching the surface of what's possible. In this interactive session, you'll receive a brief overview of the Analysis-Ready Files, explore ATD’s newly enhanced Student Journey and Momentum Data Explorer tools, and learn how Delaware Technical and Community College is using the AR files to deepen insights into gateway course success and the broader student experience.

Presenters:

• Molli Carter, Director of Student Success and Analytics, Delaware Technical and Community College
• Lisa Stich, Ph.D., Director, Data Partnerships, Achieving the Dream

From Data-Rich to Insight-Ready: Building the Conditions for Digital Transformation

Many colleges have more data than ever before yet struggle to create a shared, actionable view of the student experience. This interactive session will share early findings from the Digital Holistic Student Supports initiative, a national effort helping community colleges strengthen their data ecosystems, governance practices, and capacity for digital transformation. Participants will explore emerging lessons from the field and engage in a hands-on reflection activity to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities within their own institutions.

Presenters:

• Caitlin Augustin, Ph.D., Vice President, Product and Programs, DataKind
• Marjorie Dorime-Williams, Ph.D., Senior Associate, Postsecondary Education, MDRC
• Wendi Dew, Ph.D., Executive Director, Coaching Practice, Achieving the Dream

From Learner Voices to Workforce Value: New Insights on Higher Education and Employment From Gallup

What do learners and employers say about the value of higher education today? Drawing on new findings from Lumina Foundation and Gallup’s 2026 State of Higher Education study, this session explores perspectives on affordability, workforce preparation, AI’s influence on educational choices, and the skills graduates say they still need. Participants will examine implications for student success, workforce alignment, and the future value proposition of higher education.

Presenter:

• Courtney Brown, Ph.D., Vice President, Impact and Planning, Lumina Foundation
• Stephanie Marken, Senior Partner, Gallup

Right Skills, Right Now: Aligning Program Learning Outcomes With Labor Market Demand

Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College shares how it uses four types of industry skill requirements to bring program learning outcomes into sharper alignment with labor market demand. Participants will explore a practical approach for comparing curriculum expectations with workforce needs and identifying opportunities to strengthen program relevance, student preparation, and career outcomes.

Presenters:

• Kelly McCalla, Chief Academic Officer, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
• Shara Davis, Senior Fellow, Achieving the Dream
• Nancy Finazzo, Ph.D., Coach, Achieving the Dream

12:30–1:30 p.m.

Networking Lunch

1:30–2:45 p.m.

Plenary Session:

Becoming Program Portfolio Strategists — Delivering on the Community College Promise

Demographic, labor market, technological, and financial shifts require colleges to move beyond periodic program review toward continuous program portfolio strategy.

In this practical plenary, Karen Stout, Ed.D., will explore how colleges can make more intentional decisions about what to offer, where to invest, what to redesign, and what to stop doing. Grounded in ATD’s Community Vibrancy Framework, the session connects program choices to student demand and outcomes, labor market and transfer opportunities, program economics, institutional mission, and future community needs. Participants will consider how faculty, academic leaders, institutional researchers, and senior teams can work together to make strategic portfolio decisions that strengthen student mobility and community vitality.

Presenter:

• Karen A. Stout, Ed.D., President and CEO Emerita, Achieving the Dream

3:00–3:30 p.m.

Innovative Collaboration Sessions

Sponsored by: CredLens

Measuring What Matters: Measuring What Matters: Building Visibility into Post-Completion Outcomes

Community colleges are under growing pressure to prove that their programs are connecting learners to better jobs, higher wages, and real economic mobility for students and their communities. Workforce Pell's new reporting requirements add to that momentum, pushing institutions to move past enrollment counts and show real, post-completion outcomes. That shift speaks directly to the importance of measuring value through post-completion outcomes and return on investment, showing what it looks like for an institution to begin closing that data gap in practice.

This session looks at how North Central State College (NCSC) is building the data infrastructure to access post-completion outcomes, in partnership with CredLens. By connecting completion records with earnings and employment data, NCSC is developing a clearer picture of how its programs support upward mobility.

With more visibility into learner outcomes, NCSC is able to confirm its programs are aligned with regional workforce needs, part of a broader institutional effort that has helped graduate median wages climb to 98% of the regional median wage. The college is now using outcomes data to expand stackable credentials, certificates, and bachelor's pathways toward family-sustaining wages. Attendees will hear NCSC's journey firsthand: the questions the college set out to answer, the insights data like CredLens' can surface, and what it takes to build access to post-completion outcomes data.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will be able to identify the data gaps that keep institutions from measuring the real, post-completion value of non-degree programs, learn about a practical model for pursuing outcomes data access through an institution-vendor partnership, and understand how to leverage insights to understand program outcomes, such as earnings and employment outcomes, to inform future program decisions.

Presenter:

• Tom Prendergast, Executive Director, Strategic and Institutional Transformation, North Central State College

Sponsored by CampusWorks + Dynamic Campus

Future Ready by Design: Building a Governed, AI-Ready Data Culture

Digital transformation stalls when data isn't trusted and AI isn't governed. This session offers a practical model to leveraging data for institutional intelligence — starting not with dashboards, but with the questions leaders most need answered. We'll explore how a governed data foundation, shared definitions, and conversational, AI-native tools help institutions of any size build a responsible, scalable culture that serves student success and long-term institutional effectiveness.

• Lead with the question, not the dashboard. What are the most important questions we need answered - whether they are health checks on KPIs, understanding what students may be at risk of stopping out, or what skills should we help students prepare for going into the labor market?

• A governed foundation for responsible AI. How can a governed lakehouse create a trust layer that makes AI adoption safe and scalable?

• From reporting burden to intelligence capacity. How can institutions with thin IR offices can outsource the IR function or stand up an AI department on demand without R1 budgets.

• Ask the data in plain language. Conversational natural language query as a democratization move that puts insight in the hands of non-analysts across campus

Presenters:

Dr. Rhonda Spells-Fenty, Vice President for Data Science, Innovation, and Effectiveness, Prince George’s CC

Michael McCormick, VP of Innovation and Technology, CampusWorks + Dynamic Campus

Sponsored by: DataKind

Readiness in Practice: Making AI Work for Student Success

Most institutions aren't short on enthusiasm for AI — they're short on the conditions that let it deliver. In this 30-minute fireside conversation, DataKind's Head of Education Initiatives, Dr. Greg Wolniak, sits down with Dr. Robin Kuykendall, Executive Vice President of Clovis Community College, to move past the hype and examine what AI readiness actually looks like on the ground at a broad-access institution: the data foundation, governance practices, and institutional habits that separate tools that help students from tools that gather dust.

Aligned with the summit's focus on building AI-enabled institutions equipped for responsible, scalable innovation, the session draws on Clovis Community College's real experience as an institution putting these ideas into practice. Dr. Kuykendall will share what her college had to have in place before AI-enabled tools could work, where the institution wasn't ready and how it closed those gaps, and how readiness translated into measurable benefit for students. Dr. Wolniak will connect that lived experience to a practical framework colleges can use to gauge their own readiness.

This session models the kind of company-institution collaboration that advances student success: a technology partner and a college working together to build the conditions for responsible AI adoption. Participants will leave with a clear-eyed sense of where their own institution stands, a shared vocabulary for data and AI readiness, and a concrete first step toward making AI work for their students.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to assess their own institution's readiness to adopt AI, identify the data, governance, and organizational conditions that determine whether AI tools deliver real student benefit, and prioritize the first readiness gap to address on their campus.

Presenter:

• Robin Kuykendall, Ed.D., Executive Vice President, Clovis Community College

Sponsored by: National Student Clearinghouse

From Insight to Impact: How Northeast Lakeview College Uses PDP Data to Drive Student Success

What does it look like when data becomes a driver of institutional change? This case study from Northeast Lakeview College offers a behind-the-scenes look at how they’ve integrated PDP Analysis-Ready Files into their institutional research and planning processes. Attendees will gain practical insights into how the college uses PDP data to support continuous improvement, inform policy, and enhance student outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how PDP data fits into institutional research workflows
• Learn from real use cases and outcomes at Northeast Lakeview College
• Discover strategies for cross-campus collaboration using shared data
• Get inspired to take your own PDP data to the next level
• Explore strategies for building a data-informed institutional culture
• Hear lessons learned from Northeast Lakeview College’s experience

Presenters:

• Marty Fortner, Director of Institutional Research, Alamo Colleges District
• Brandi Solar, IT Data Analyst, Alamo Colleges District

Sponsored by: Trellis Strategies

Supporting the Modern Learner: Using Data to Drive Student Success

Today's community college students frequently balance coursework with work, caregiving, and financial pressures that shape whether they persist to completion. Trellis Strategies' Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS), State Opportunity Index Survey (administered in partnership with Strada Education Foundation), and the Some College, No Credential (SCNC) Survey research give institutions free, actionable data on these realities, covering basic needs security, financial stress, work-based learning, and the barriers that lead students to stop out before finishing a credential.

This session pairs Trellis Strategies with two institutional partners, Columbus State Community College and North Central State College, to show how this data moves from findings to action. Trellis will open with relevant SFWS, SOI, and SCNC data illustrating the challenges students face from enrollment through graduation. Dr. Bland-Polk and Penelope will then share how their institutions have used this data to inform stakeholders and guide decision-making.

Attendees will leave with an understanding for translating survey data into institutional action, along with specific examples of how two Ohio community colleges have used Trellis Strategies’ data to strengthen student support and inform programming decisions in service of completion and economic mobility.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to identify how national and state-level student data, including the Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS), State Opportunity Index (SOI) Survey, and Some College, No Credential (SCNC) data, can inform institutional strategies to support modern learners, and will gain concrete examples of how community colleges have used this data to engage stakeholders and shape programming decisions.

Presenters:

• Dr. Desiree Bland-Polk, Senior Vice President for Student Success, Columbus State Community College
• Penelope Parmer, Director of Institutional Research, North Central State College

Sponsored by: ZogoTech

How Leah Meyer Austin Award Winners Use Data to Improve Student Success

How can colleges use data to make meaningful progress in student success? In this 30-minute panel, ATD data coaches Dr. Traci Williams of Chattanooga State Community College and Dr. Brian Jones of Odessa College will discuss how their institutions use data to guide decisions and support students. Both colleges have received ATD’s Leah Meyer Austin Award for sustained gains in student success.

The panel will explore how colleges build a shared understanding of student outcomes, bring people across campus into the conversation, and turn what they learn into student success initiatives. The speakers will reflect on the role of collaboration, leadership, and accessible data in sustaining this work. They will also discuss how their partnership with ZogoTech supports their efforts to make data useful across campus.

Drawing on their different experiences, the speakers will consider how data helps colleges measure progress, strengthen pathways to valuable credentials, and connect student success efforts to economic mobility and community needs. Attendees will leave with ideas for building a campus culture that uses evidence to improve outcomes over time.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to describe how shared data and campus collaboration can guide student success initiatives and help colleges assess their impact.

Presenters:

• Dr. Traci Williams, VP, Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Planning, Chattanooga State Community College
• Dr. Brian Jones, VP, Institutional Effectiveness, Odessa College

3:30–3:45 p.m.

Coffee & Connections in the Learning Exchange

3:45-4:45 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Advancing Economic Mobility Through Workforce Outcomes Data: Lessons From Ohio Community Colleges

Community colleges know they transform lives — but demonstrating that impact with meaningful workforce outcomes data remains a challenge.

Ohio community colleges are building a statewide approach that combines Postsecondary Data Partnership Analysis-Ready Files with state workforce data to better understand employment and earnings outcomes for completers, non-completers, and transfer students who earn bachelor's degrees. This interactive session will explore Ohio's emerging model while inviting participants to consider how similar approaches could be adapted in their own states and institutions.

Presenters:

• Robert Haas, Ph.D., Chief Strategy Officer, Marion Technical College
• Lisa Stich, Ph.D., Director, Data Partnerships, Achieving the Dream

Building Data Empowerment: Inside the Comet Data Academy

After identifying a need to strengthen institutional capacity in data empowerment, Contra Costa College launched the Comet Data Academy, a cohort-based, AI-enabled data literacy program grounded in cross-functional collaboration. The academy equips faculty, staff and administrators with practical data skills and culminates with each participant completing a capstone project that applies their learning to a real institutional challenge.

In this session, attendees will learn how the academy was designed and implemented, explore the guiding design principles and curriculum, see examples of individual capstones, hear lessons learned, and leave with practical tools and strategies for building a data academy at their own institution.

Facilitator:

• Jacqueline Taylor, Ed.D., Leadership Coach, Achieving the Dream

Presenters:

• Kimberly Rogers, Ph.D., President, Contra Costa College
• Kenyetta Tribble, M.Ed., Vice President, Equity and Student Services, Contra Costa College
• Chao Liu, Ph.D., Professor, Engineering, Computer Science and Physics, Contra Costa College
• Georgia Chau, Science Laboratory Technician, Contra Costa Colleg
• Nikki Ferguson, Professor, Physical Education and Athletics, Contra Costa College
• Erica Delgado, Program Assistant, Counseling, Contra Costa College

Cultural Foundations in Practice: Indigenous Approaches to Strategic Enrollment Management at Tribal Colleges and Universities

This session highlights how three Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) use data-driven approaches to track student success while strengthening culturally grounded programming. Participants will learn how TCUs tailor learning environments and success strategies to Native students’ experiences, using strategic enrollment management (SEM) and culturally reflective measures to evaluate effectiveness and foster student success.

Presenters:

• Velveena Davis, Executive Director of Institutional Planning and Reporting, Dine College
• Sarah McMenamin, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Northwest Indian College
• Cindy Cultee, Ph.D., Provost, Northwest Indian College
• Steve Watkins-Melgarejo, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the Director of Distance Education, Red Lake Nation College
• Devin Crowe, Innovation and Student Success Coordinator, Red Lake Nation
• Crystal LoudHawk-Hedgepeth, Ph.D., Director of Research, American Indian College Fund
• Delphina Thomas, Program Officer - TCU Capacity for Student Success, American Indian College Fund
• Jackie Gardner, Research and Evaluation Specialist, American Indian College Fund

From Community Voice to Measurable Impact: How AlamoFORWARD Translates a Moonshot into Action

Learn how the Alamo Colleges District engaged community members and partners to shape AlamoFORWARD, its 2025–2030 strategic plan. The session explores how community input informed the district's strategic priorities -- Learners, Talent, Community, and Performance Excellence -- and was translated into measurable goals and accountability metrics that advance Alamo's moonshot of partnering to end poverty in San Antonio through education and training.

Presenters:

• Eric Castillo, Ph.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Arts, Culture, and Community Impact/San Antonio, Alamo Colleges District
• Michelle Lugalia-Hollon, Chief Strategy Officer, Alamo Colleges District

From Vision to Institutional Strategy: Advancing the AI-Enabled College

Community colleges are moving beyond AI experimentation toward institution-wide strategies that integrate AI into governance, operations, workforce preparation, and student success. Learn how Wake Tech is advancing an AI-enabled college through coordinated leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and practical implementation.

Presenters:

• Brian Gann, Vice President, Enrollment and Student Services, Wake Tech Community College
• Ryan Schwiebert, Vice President, Information Technology Services, Wake Tech Community College

Predictive Metrics To Evaluate and Strengthen Dual Enrollment Programs and Practices

Practitioners and policymakers need better metrics to track students’ participation and early success in dual enrollment (DE) and inform strategies to strengthen DE as an on-ramp to college and career. This session will introduce three sets of DE momentum metrics: threshold number of DE credits completed, gateway course completion in math and/or English, and college credential completion while in high school. Presenters will go over findings on how each of these metrics predict college attainment. Presenters will also introduce other metrics use to capture access and participation in DE, student experiences, and program quality. Attendees will leave the session with an understanding of the different metrics that can help evaluate and strengthen DE programs and practices.

Presenters:

• Tatiana Velasco, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Community College Research Center
• Nick Mathern, Director of K12 Partnerships, Achieving the Dream
• John Fink, Senior Research Associate and Program Lead, Community College Research Center

Sneak Peak: A New How-To Guide for Measuring and Improving Postsecondary Value

Participants will learn about the Institute for Higher Education Policy’s how-to guide offering a clear, step-by-step overview for anyone interested in using data to evaluate postsecondary value within a state, institution, or community. By illuminating the technical and analytic considerations necessary to measure postsecondary value, this guide seeks to equip researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with a clear overview of the necessary data elements, analytic considerations and tradeoffs, and potential metrics and comparisons to conduct value research.

Presenter:

• Erin Velez, Ph.D., Vice President, Research, Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)

5:00-6:00 p.m.

TCU Reception

Friday, October 2, 2026

7:30-10:00 a.m.

Registration Open

7:30–8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:30–9:15 a.m.

Plenary Session: Directing Intelligence

Everyone is asking what AI will do to our jobs. The larger question is what kind of people we become working alongside it. The difference between those two futures is human agency, and whether we surrender or build it.

In this plenary, Todd McLees makes the case that human agency is the scarce and valuable contribution in the Agency Economy, and that the institutions which build it on purpose will be the ones their students, their workforce, and their communities need most.

Artificial Intelligence is only valuable when it is Human-Directed Intelligence.

Presenter:

• Todd McLees, Founder of HumanSkills.AI

9:15-10:45 a.m.

From Vision to Practice: Building an AI-Ready College: A Fireside Conversation

Moderator:

• Lenore P. Rodicio, Ph.D., President and CEO, Achieving the Dream

Panelists:

• Todd McLees, Founder, HumanSkills AI
• Gregory A. Haile, J.D., CEO, Upwardly Global
• Randall Van Wagoner, Ph.D., President, Mohawk Valley Community College
• Mei-Yen Ireland, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Digital Holistic Student Supports

10:45–11:00 a.m.

2026 Data & Analytics Summit: From Insight to Impact

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Team Time (Optional)