By Katie Rendon, MA, Registrar, Hebrew Union College, Chair of the State & Regional Relations Committee, N&E Committee Member
Applications are open through December 11, 2026, for the AACRAO “Best of the Best” Program, which recognizes outstanding sessions presented at State & Regional organizations’ annual meetings. Presenters of up to three selected sessions will receive complimentary registration to the 112th AACRAO Annual Meeting in Long Beach, CA, to present their outstanding sessions. This program helps to highlight the amazing work happening at our local and regional levels and elevate those voices nationally.
We return to our interviews with past AACRAO “Best of the Best” presenters, who shared their thoughts on why they developed their sessions, how presenting enhanced their professional development, and what it meant to them to be selected for Best of the Best. Part two of this two-part series includes responses from:
- Curtis Clock, Associate Registrar for Academic Services at Ball State University
- Sarah Stilp, Interim Associate Dean, University Special Student Services at University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Brenda Schumann, Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar at the University of Texas at Austin
- Jennifer Cunningham, Dean of Texarkana Campus at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana
What motivated you to present a session at your state & regional conference?
Curtis Clock: Prior to the beginning of the fall semester in 2022, I was asked to stand in for our University Registrar, Erin Mason, who had been asked to deliver a presentation on Generation Z at our annual Student Success Summit. Fortunately, the subject matter wasn’t completely unfamiliar to me. I had explored generational theory and related literature as part of my doctoral coursework, so I was able to draw on that experience as I developed the presentation. The presentation was a huge success, and I received multiple emails from campus leaders praising the work. Because of the lingering restrictions and apprehension surrounding large gatherings following COVID, IACRAO had not yet returned to an in-person meeting, so I delivered Teach Me How to Gen Z to the membership virtually over Zoom. Thankfully, the presentation was well received there, too. Looking back, what started as an unexpected request to fill in for a colleague ultimately became one of the most meaningful experiences of my professional career.
Sarah Stilp: Presenting at my state conference (WACRAO) for this particular session was really exciting because I was able to co-present with two wonderful campus colleagues. I have found myself much more motivated to present when I know I can be part of a panel or group, bringing different perspectives to a topic but also learning from others I’m presenting with.
Brenda Schumann: Throughout my career in higher education, some of my most valuable professional development has come from learning from others. When my good friend and colleague, Kim Tate, Assistant Vice President and University Registrar at The University of Texas at Arlington, and I had the opportunity to present on microcredentialing at both TACRAO and SACRAO, we saw it as a chance to contribute to an important and evolving conversation within higher education. We wanted to share the work our institutions were doing while learning from others navigating similar challenges and opportunities. One of the things I value most about AACRAO, and our state and regional associations, is that learning is never one-directional. While we were there to share our experiences, we learned just as much from the colleagues in the room.
Jennifer Cunningham: The idea for “Improv to Improve: A Comedic Approach to Customer Service” started with a simple thought: what if we could talk about customer (student) service(s) without making it feel like a customer service training? Through my background in improv comedy, I realized that many of the skills I learned on stage (active listening, adaptability, collaboration, reading the room, embracing the unexpected, and, perhaps most importantly, being comfortable with not knowing exactly what comes next) were the same traits that made me a better professional. I wanted to explore what would happen if I brought those skills into the world of admissions and student services. At the heart of my presentation was the idea that when we allow ourselves to be genuine, we make it easier for students to feel comfortable being themselves too. My goal was to create a session that was informative, but also fun and a little unexpected with some laughs along the way.
How did that experience of presenting at your state & regional conference enhance your professional development?
Clock: Presenting at IACRAO was a significant turning point in my professional development because it helped me recognize that I had something meaningful to contribute specifically to the Registrar profession. The positive response from colleagues across Indiana reinforced that the ideas I was developing in my own work could resonate beyond my institution and across different areas of our profession.
That experience also encouraged me to think beyond my state association and consider how I could bring my talents and perspectives to the national level. At the time, I was already serving as IACRAO’s First Vice President and was actively involved in the organization, but presenting Teach Me How to Gen Z helped me recognize that the ideas and experiences I was sharing with colleagues in Indiana could also contribute to conversations happening across the broader AACRAO community. It gave me the confidence to take that next step and begin contributing to the national organization, ultimately leading to my first AACRAO presentation and much deeper involvement with AACRAO.
Stilp: In full transparency, I am generally terrified of presenting in front of groups! However, I’ve found WACRAO to be my favorite place to present because the audience is always engaged, friendly, and supportive. Presenting at WACRAO is the reason I’ve become much more comfortable with public speaking. Most importantly, I’ve met amazing colleagues during these state & regional conferences—making those personal connections at the conference have helped build some of my strongest professional networks.
Schumann: Presenting at conferences has always challenged me to think beyond the day-to-day responsibilities of my role as a Registrar at UT Austin. Preparing this session required me to step back and evaluate how microcredentialing fits into the broader higher education landscape, where my institution and others are headed, and how registrars can continue to provide leadership in the microcredentialing space. It reinforced the idea that our work in the Registrar’s Office is about more than maintaining records. Registrars are uniquely positioned to help lead our campuses in supporting the creation of new credential types that tell the story of student learning, achievement, and success.
Cunningham: There is something uniquely vulnerable about standing in front of a room of academic professionals and saying, “Okay, everyone, trust me. I’m just like you, but sillier. Today we’re going to do some improv.” I don’t see my performance background as something separate from my professional identity. Having the opportunity to share that part of myself in a professional setting gave me the confidence and psychological safety to perform at a higher level (both literally and figuratively). Most importantly, it encouraged me to see my own experiences and unconventional skills as something valuable that I could contribute to the profession.
What did it mean to you to win the Best of the Best award?
Clock: Winning Best of the Best was an incredible affirmation that the ideas, experiences, and self that I was bringing to the profession had value beyond my own institution and state. As someone who was relatively new to AACRAO, it was also a meaningful welcome into the national organization and remains one of the most remarkable professional honors I have received.
Stilp: I was an incredible honor! My co-presenters and I were surprised and extremely appreciative of the support. Having tangible feedback that our session was meaningful to participants was incredibly powerful.
Schumann: Winning the Best of the Best award was an honor. The work of professional associations depends on members who are willing to share their experiences and ideas, so being recognized by my TACRAO colleagues was particularly meaningful. It was gratifying to know that the topic of microcredentialing resonated with others and highlighted the important role registrars can play in advancing innovation within higher education.
Cunningham: Winning Best of the Best was incredibly meaningful because it validated the whole idea behind the presentation. I had taken something that might initially seem “silly” (improv and comedy) and connected it to something very serious and important (how we build relationships with students). The award made me feel that there was a place in our profession for a different kind of voice and a different kind of presentation. It reinforced my belief that we don’t always have to fit ourselves into a traditional professional mold to make a meaningful contribution.
How did winning Best of the Best enhance your AACRAO Annual Meeting experience?
Clock: Winning Best of the Best made my first AACRAO Annual Meeting an experience I will never forget. Beyond the recognition itself, the award provided complimentary conference registration, which eased the financial burden on my institution. It also gave me an opportunity to make new connections with colleagues from across the country and made an already exciting first Annual Meeting even more meaningful.
Stilp: The first time I attended AACRAO was because I was offered the chance as the Best of the Best winner, which opened the door to that extremely valuable opportunity for me. I’m grateful that AACRAO supported the state and regional conferences in this way! Presenting on our topic to a national audience also allowed us to get insights and participation from a broader audience, which enhanced the experience for both presenters and attendees.
Schumann: Winning Best of the Best gave us the opportunity to take an important conversation about microcredentialing to a national audience. The AACRAO Annual Meeting provided a platform to showcase how registrars are contributing to work that extends beyond traditional records and registrar functions. It was rewarding to see how much interest there was in credential innovation and to be part of a broader conversation about the future of learner records.
Cunningham: Presenting at the AACRAO Annual Meeting allowed me to connect with colleagues from across the country and see how the message resonated beyond my own state and region. It made the Annual Meeting feel especially personal because I was part of the conversation in a way I hadn’t anticipated when I first submitted the session. The recognition opened the door to conversations about why I believe humor and authenticity have a legitimate place in our professional lives.
Do you have any other thoughts about presenting a session or the Best of the Best award that you’d like to share?
Clock: I would encourage anyone with an idea or experience to share to take the chance and submit a proposal. My journey from an unexpected presentation opportunity to Best of the Best is a great reminder that state and regional associations can provide the platform—and the confidence—to take your ideas to a much broader audience.
Schumann: I would encourage anyone considering presenting at a state or regional conference to do it. Some of the most innovative work in higher education is happening on individual campuses, and professional associations provide an important venue for sharing those ideas. Looking back, the greatest value of winning the Best of the Best award is not the award itself but the opportunity to elevate an emerging topic, contribute to the profession, and encourage conversations about where higher education is headed. State and regional conferences remain one of the best ways for ideas to move from our individual campuses to influence higher education across the nation.
Cunningham: I would encourage anyone who has ever thought, “I don’t have anything to present,” to reconsider. We all bring experiences, interests, and unique skills to our profession that may not seem directly connected to higher education, but those differences can be exactly what makes a presentation memorable. For me, ‘Improv to Improve’ was never about turning registrars into comedians. (Yikes! Could you imagine?) It was about showing that the skills we develop in unexpected places can make us better at what we do every day. I hope my experience also demonstrates that being a professional doesn’t mean having to become a different person at work. We can be serious about the work we do without taking ourselves too seriously. We can be knowledgeable and professional while still being funny, creative, enthusiastic, a little unconventional, but completely ourselves. You don’t have to be a performer to set the STAGE for excellence!
Please consider nominating a session from your most recent state & regional annual meeting.
Nominations for the “Best of the Best” Program are open now through Friday, December 11 at 5 p.m. ET. Your nominations help to grant access to the Annual Meeting, increase the diversity of sessions, and promote the professional development of leaders in your local area.
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