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Schedule at a Glance

All listed sessions are in Eastern Daylight Time

Pre-Conference Workshop: AI for Institutional Transformation
Presenter: 
Audrey Ellis, DM, T3 Advisory
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
*This workshop (value $499) will be free for the first fifty registrants for The Assembly

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Lunch on Own
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Speed Demos with Exhibitors
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Ask Me Anything Sessions
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Opening Plenary Session & Welcome Reception
Federal Signals & Field Response: What It Means for Learning Mobility
Panelists: Dr. Amber Garrison Duncan, C-BEN; Heather Perfetti, J.D., Ed.D, MSCHE; Noah Sudow, Whiteboard Advisors
Moderator: Scott Filter, AACRAO
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
In the Exhibit Hall, light cocktail refreshments will be provided following the session

Coffee with Exhibitors
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Monday Plenary Session
Live and Unfiltered: A Transfer Tea × Transfer Nation Podcast Mashup
Presenters: Loida Gonzalez Utley, Texas A&M – Central Texas; Heather Adams. Transfer Nation
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Speed Demos with Exhibitors
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Lunch on Own
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Ask Me Anything Sessions
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Coffee with Exhibitors
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Breakout Sessions & Project-Based Learning Pods
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Breakout Sessions
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Project-Based Learning Pods Gathering in the Exhibit Hall
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Lunch & Learn Closing Plenary
Learning Mobility in Action: From Institutional Innovation to Connected Learning Ecosystems
Presenters: Bryan Ashton, Trellis Strategies; Holly Custard, Strada; Elisabeth Fellowes, Education Design Lab; Julia Spears, Marshall University, and Melanie Gottlieb, AACRAO
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Luncheon provided

Sunday Opening Plenary

Federal Signals & Field Response: What It Means for Learning Mobility

Over the past year, higher education has experienced an unprecedented wave of federal regulatory, legislative, and policy activity. From evolving accountability frameworks and student aid reforms to renewed emphasis on workforce outcomes, skills, and alternative pathways, these changes are reshaping how institutions recognize, evaluate, and apply learning across educational experiences. At the same time, learners increasingly expect their prior learning, transfer credit, work-based learning, and alternative credentials to move with them seamlessly across institutions and sectors. Recent policy discussions have also heightened attention. Our panelists will explore the implications and opportunities for higher education institutions in this time of transformative change. 

Smiling man in a suit and tie for a professional headshot
Moderator: Scott Filter, AACRAO
Panelist: Dr. Amber Garrison Duncan, C-BEN
Heather Perfetti
Panelist: Heather Perfetti, J.D., Ed.D, MSCHE
Noah Sudow
Panelist: Noah Sudow, Whiteboard Advisors

Monday Plenary Session

Live and Unfiltered: A Transfer Tea × Transfer Nation Podcast Mashup

What happens when two of higher education’s most candid transfer voices share one stage? Find out in this one-of-a-kind plenary experience, as Transfer Tea and Transfer Nation come together for a live podcast mashup featuring three transfer students telling it like it is. From navigating institutional barriers to making sense of learning mobility, hear directly from students about what worked, what didn’t, and what colleges and universities must do better. This session blends authentic student voices with practical takeaways for practitioners ready to rethink and strengthen their transfer ecosystems.

Loida Gonzalez Utley
Speaker: Dra. Loida González Utley, Texas A&M – Central Texas
Heather Adams
Speaker: Dr. Heather Adams, Transfer Nation

Tuesday Closing Plenary Panel

Learning Mobility in Action: From Institutional Innovation to Connected Learning Ecosystems

The future of education-to-work depends on learners being able to carry trusted records of their knowledge, skills, and achievements wherever learning and opportunity occur. Realizing that vision requires institutions, regional and state partnerships, and national organizations to modernize the policies, technologies, and practices that connect education and employment.

Join leaders from Marshall University, Trellis Strategies, Education Design Lab, and AACRAO as they explore how learning mobility is moving from concept to implementation. Drawing on their unique perspectives as institutional leaders and national technical assistance partners, panelists will discuss where institutions should begin, what barriers are proving most difficult to overcome, how they are helping leaders prioritize investments in interoperable digital credentials and learner-centered infrastructure, and what collective action is needed to scale learning mobility across regions and states. Attendees will gain practical insights into the building blocks of a more connected, transparent, and opportunity-driven learning ecosystem.

Bryan Ashton
Speaker: Bryan Ashton, Trellis Strategies
Holly Custard
Speaker: Holly Custard, Strada
Elisabeth Fellowes
Speaker: Elisabeth Fellowes, Education Design Lab
Julia Spears
Speaker: Julia Spears, Marshall University
Melanie Gottlieb
Speaker: Melanie Gottlieb, AACRAO

What Happens After the Conference

The work doesn’t stop when the conference ends.

In the weeks following The Assembly, pods will:

Continue collaborating virtually.

Refine their ideas or artifacts.

Share outcomes and lessons learned.

The goal is simple: move from ideas to action.