Future Ready: Digitally Transformed and Data Empowered
Register today for the Data & Analytics Summit to be held Wednesday, September 30–Friday, October 2, 2026, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Achieving the Dream's 12th annual Data & Analytics Summit brings together higher education professionals to explore how digital transformation and data empowerment can accelerate student success, strengthen institutional effectiveness, and unlock economic mobility for the communities that colleges serve. Centered on the theme Future Ready: Digitally Transformed and Data Empowered, the summit explores how colleges can harness digital transformation to improve decision-making, strengthen institutional effectiveness, and expand economic mobility.
Through plenaries, applied sessions, and collaborative learning experiences, participants will examine how institutions can:
- Measure value through postcompletion outcomes and return on education
- Build AI-enabled cultures equipped for responsible, scalable innovation
- Align academic programs with workforce and community priorities
A hands-on workshop on data and AI governance will provide new practical tools and strategies to help colleges advance institution-wide innovation responsibly and effectively.
Reserve your place now to gain the tools, insights, and connections needed to lead your institution into a future-ready era!
Schedule-at-a-Glance
The Data & Analytics Summit includes three days of in-person learning
Wednesday, September 30: In-person cohort convenings (by invitation), opening workshop, and welcome reception
Thursday–Friday, October 1–2: In-person plenary, concurrents, and sponsored innovative collaboration sessions
For a preliminary agenda, visit the Schedule tab.
Sessions at the 2026 Data & Analytics Summit will address how digital transformation and data empowerment can strengthen institutional effectiveness and advance student and community success. Session topics will center on three themes:
- Measuring value through postcompletion outcomes, economic mobility, and return on education
- Building AI-enabled institutions equipped for responsible, scalable innovation
- Becoming program portfolio strategists who align academic offerings with workforce and community needs
Todd McLees is co-founder of humanskills.ai, a human-first, AI-forward firm that helps professionals and students develop the skills needed to direct and apply artificial intelligence responsibly. His work focuses on building human agency, responsible AI practices, and digital well-being, with the goal of helping learners and organizations thrive in an AI-driven world. Todd partners with community colleges, universities, and education networks to integrate AI literacy, workflow design, and agentic AI into teaching and learning. In 2026, humanskills.ai launched Virgil, an agentic learning guide designed to make AI-enabled learning accessible in 109 languages.
A Harvard Business Review contributor and recognized thought leader in human-AI collaboration, Todd writes the Directing Intelligence Substack newsletter. He serves on several advisory boards, including the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and the Higher Education Regional Alliance, and previously served on Achieving the Dream's AI Task Force.
What attendees said about the 2025 Data & Analytics Summit:
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“The most valuable part of my experience at the ATD Data & Analytics Summit was the opportunity to engage with data leaders and practitioners across the higher education landscape. The sessions deepened my understanding of how colleges leverage analytics to improve student success.” “The sessions provided examples and specific information that I could take back to my college.” |
What is included at the Data & Analytics Summit?
- Four plenaries featuring national experts, college leaders, and ATD coaches
- Applied concurrent sessions connecting data empowerment and digital transformation
- A hands-on data and AI governance workshop
- A dedicated program track for Tribal College and University attendees
- Sponsored innovative collaboration sessions
- Networking opportunities
Who should attend?
Higher education professionals working to strengthen data empowerment and digital transformation at their institutions are encouraged to attend. This includes:
- Senior and cabinet leaders
- Data and technology professionals, including institutional research, institutional effectiveness, and information technology staff
- Academic affairs leaders and faculty, including deans, department chairs, and faculty
- Student support and academic support services staff
- Administrative and operational staff, including enrollment services, business affairs, workforce development, and grants and initiative leads
What To Expect at the ATD Data & Analytics Summit
In addition to engaging plenary and concurrent sessions, participants in this year’s Data & Analytics Summit will benefit from the following programming enhancements:
- Expanded focus on ATD’s Community Vibrancy (CV) Framework and the full breadth of the CV metrics
- Independent and structured opportunities to connect with peers engaged in tackling critical topics
- More comprehensive use of tracks based on attendee roles, enabling them to choose sessions that best align with their work and goals
- A Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) track designed to elevate the expertise and learning of attendees from the TCUs that work with ATD. TCU attendees will benefit from learning from their peers, while non-TCU attendees will benefit from new perspectives and approaches to equitable and community-focused learning.
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Earn a Microcredential in Data & Analytics
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ATD and the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) are partnering to offer Data & Analytics Summit participants an exclusive opportunity to earn a Community College Data and Analytics Microcredential — designed to strengthen your ability to use data for institutional improvement and student success.
Cost: $499 (paid when you register here or onsite at the Data & Analytics Summit) |
Registration Fees
Registration for the 2026 Data & Analytics Summit includes access to all general audience, in-person sessions taking place September 30–October 2. Teams of three or more receive a 10% discount (automatically deducted at checkout when registering three or more people at the same time).
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Registration Type |
ATD Network College |
Out-of-Network College or Organization |
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In-person conference registration |
$745 |
$895 |
| UMGC Community College Data and Analytics Microcredential (optional add-on) |
$499 | $499 |
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations received after Monday, September 7, 2026, are subject to a $150 administrative fee. Substitution requests may be submitted in writing to events@achievingthedream.org or call (240) 450-3805 by Monday, September 14, 2026 and will be confirmed via return email.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event. Please contact Dayna Gilliard at dgvassall@achievingthedream.org or call 240-450-3805.
Consent to Use Photographic Images
Registration and attendance at, or participation in, ATD meetings and other activities constitutes an agreement by the registrant to the use and distribution of the registrant or attendee’s image or voice in photographs, videotapes, electronic reproductions, and audiotapes of such events and activities by ATD and other third parties, including, but not limited to, the venue, the host city, and the host partner.
| Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a partner and champion of more than 300 community colleges across the country. Drawing on our expert coaches, groundbreaking programs, and national peer network, we provide institutions with integrated, tailored support for every aspect of their work — from foundational capacities such as leadership, data, and equity to intentional strategies for supporting students holistically, building K–12 partnerships, and more. We call this Whole College Transformation. Our vision is for every college to be a catalyst for equitable, antiracist, and economically vibrant communities. We know that with the right partner and the right approach, colleges can drive access, completion rates, and employment outcomes — so that all students can access life-changing learning that propels them into community-changing careers. |
When
Event Starts:September 30, 2026
Event Ends:
October 2, 2026
Where
Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor
Baltimore, Maryland 21202