Featured Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Bridget Burns
CEO of the University Innovation Alliance
Named one of the “Most Innovative People in Higher Education” by Washington Monthly magazine, Dr. Bridget Burns is an innovation, collaboration and student success expert, presidential advisor, and CEO. Her work has been highlighted in national outlets like The New York Times, Fast Company, 60 Minutes, and she was featured in the documentary Unlikely. She is the founding CEO of the award-winning University Innovation Alliance, a multi-campus laboratory for student success innovation focused on dramatically increasing the number and diversity of college graduates through testing, scaling and implementing innovative practices. Founded in 2014, the UIA campuses have achieved massive change for their nearly half a million students, including increasing the number of low-income graduates by 46%, and graduates of color by 85% along the way.
Bridget Burns will present on the topic of innovative thinking and problem solving in higher education on Sunday, March 26 at 4:30 p.m.
Sara Ross
Chief Vitality Officer at BrainAMPED
Sara and her company provide brain-based tools to decrease stress and exhaustion and increase Leadership Vitality by strengthening the skills of energy management, emotional intelligence, and resilience. Sara's ideas and research are earning her a reputation as a fresh and thought-provoking voice in the discussions focused on the future of work. Before founding BrainAMPED, Sara spent a decade immersed in the neuroscience of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Performance at a leadership training company where she served as their Vice President and Global Head of Leadership Innovation, Research and Training. As head of faculty, Sara and her team led the development and delivery of award-winning leadership programs, assessments, coaching and accreditation programs helping leaders from across the globe be their best, even in the most complex and pressure-filled moments.
Sara Ross will present on the topic of leadership vitality on Monday, March 27 at 9 a.m.
Ryan Patel
Clinical Psychiatrist, Ohio State University Office of Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service
Clinical Psychiatrist, Ohio State University Office of Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service Ryan Patel, D.O., is the chair of the Mental Health Section and 2023 Conference Program Planning Committee for the American College Health Association and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has over 10 years of experience working with college students, using a personalized approach combining medication, counseling, and lifestyle behaviors. He has participated in numerous clinical research projects, committees, programs, media, and legislative efforts in the field of college mental health. His college student self-help blog, u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness has reached over 80,000 page views to date.
Presentation: Practical Strategies to Address the Mental Health Crisis on College
Sunday, 10:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
David Baime
Senior Vice President for Government Relations, American Association of Community Colleges
David Baime has served as senior vice president for government relations at the American Association of Community Colleges since 1992. In that role he coordinates the advocacy efforts for the nation’s 1,039 community colleges. Prior that time, he advocated for the nation’s medical colleges as well as independent institutions. Earlier in his career he worked on Capitol Hill and for a student financial aid consulting firm focusing on federal programs. He has made a variety of media appearances, including on C-SPAN, MSNBC, Fox News, National Public Radio, and many others. He is frequently quoted in higher education publications such as Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Politico, and has been quoted in the Washington Post, New York Times, Ms. Magazine and other publications.
Presentation: Higher Education in The New Political Landscape
Sunday, 1:15 - 2 p.m.
Lindsey Tepe
Director of Governmental Affairs, Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities
Lindsey Tepe serves as the Director of Governmental Affairs for APLU, where she conducts research and advocacy in support of member universities’ federal higher education policy priorities. Before joining APLU, Lindsey served as a Fellow with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray’s staff. Prior to working on Capitol Hill, Lindsey served as a Senior Policy Analyst with the Education Policy program at New America, where she researched and wrote on a range of policy issues spanning PreK-12 and Higher Education. She began her career in the classroom, teaching elementary students in Chicago Public Schools. Lindsey and her work have been featured in media outlets including The Atlantic, Fortune, Slate, Inside Higher Ed, Education Week, and others.
Co-Presenting with David Baime on Higher Education in The New Political Landscape
Sunday, 1:15 - 2 p.m.
John Dugan
Executive Director of Youth Leadership Research & Impact, The Aspen Institute
Dr. John P. Dugan (he/him/his) spent 20+ years working at the intersections of research, program design, equity, and human development. As the Executive Director of Youth Leadership Research & Impact at The Aspen Institute, John oversees a portfolio of programs designed to (1) cultivate youth and educator capacities for values-based leadership, (2) improve pathways to degree completion, career readiness, and job placement, and (3) invest in local communities to transfer capital and enrich pipelines of talent across sectors. John co-founded and is the principal investigator of the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL), one of the largest international studies of leadership development.
Presentation: The Powerful Role of Leadership Development for Student Success
Monday, 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Nathan Grawe
Professor of Economics, Carleton College
Dr. Nathan Grawe, Professor of Economics at Carleton College, is a labor economist whose work examines intergenerational connections in education and labor market outcomes. Nathan's book, Demographics and The Demand for Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018) examines how recent demographic shifts are likely to affect demand for higher education. In a follow-up project, The Agile College (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021), Nathan draws on interviews with higher education leaders to provide examples of how proactive institutions are grappling with demographic change.
Presentation: Demographic Change, Enrollment Patterns, and Institutional Preparedness
Monday, 1:15 - 2 p.m.
