Conference Schedule
Review the full conference schedule to plan your day, explore session offerings, and make the most of your AWHE experience.
Click each day below to expand and view the schedule
| Start Time | End Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 am | 12:00 pm | Mentorship Program Lunch Check-in | Foyer/Conference Hallway |
| 12:00 pm | 2:00 pm | Mentorship Program Lunch (Program Participants only) | Granite Ballroom |
| 2:00 pm | 2:30 pm | Group Photo (AWHE Board and Institutional Representatives) | Outdoor patio – weather permitting |
| 2:30 pm | 4:00 pm | Board of Directors Meeting | TBD |
| 3:00 pm | 5:00 pm | Hotel Check-in/Conference Registration Check-in | Foyer |
| 4:30 pm | 7:00 pm | Welcome Kick-Off Mixer (Spirit Night)* *Heavy appetizers/cash bar will be available. Join us for a fun photo booth and line dancing! Line dancing begins at 6pm. | Welcome Kick-Off Mixer (Spirit Night) |
| 7:00 pm | Dinner on your own | ||
| Start Time | End Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 am | 8:00 am | Conference Check-in| Exhibitor Set-up | Foyer/Conference Hallway |
| 8:00 am | 8:30 am | Breakfast Welcome Address AWHE Board President – Dr. Nikki Hage, Dean of Students, Arizona Western College AWHE Board Vice President – Dr. Arezu Corella | Cottonwood/Clarkdale/Sedona Ballrooms |
| 8:30 am | 9:15 am | Keynote – Dr. Kate Rose “When No One Hands You the Map: Creating a Wild Path to Empathetic Leadership and Radical Kindness” | Cottonwood/Clarkdale/Sedona Ballrooms |
| 9:15 am | 9:30 am | Break/Transition | |
| 9:30 am | 10:20 am | Breakout 1 – Building Teams that Last – Cultivating Leadership in Student Development Meghan Paquette and Tania Sheldahl | Granite Mountain |
| Breakout 2 – The Future of Leadership is Human: Women Leading with Purpose and Presence Through Change Christine Hazen Molina | Verde A | ||
| Breakout 3 – Badass Parents: Juggling Kids, Careers, and Chaos Cassandra Ott Kocon and Erin Englund | Verde B | ||
| Breakout 4 – Compassionate Leadership: Transformative Practices for Building Teams and Organizational Culture Erin Paradise | Prescott | ||
| Breakout 5 – A Challenge to Change: Building Empathetic Classrooms that Transform Students and Ourselves Christine Leavitt | Arizona | ||
| Breakout 6 – Leading with Heart in the Age of AI Janet Nix and Ustadza White | Chino | ||
| 10:20 am | 10:35 am | Break/Transition | |
| 10:35 am | 11:25 am | Breakout 1 – From Fear to Flourish: Nurturing Courage through Heart-led Leadership Layla Tenney | Granite Mountain |
| Breakout 2 – Supercommunicators in Higher Education: Mastering Connection and Clarity to Lead Through Challenge and Change Charmaine Chidester | Verde A | ||
| Breakout 3 – Stronger Together: Partnering for Inclusive Student Success Laura Corr | Verde B | ||
| Breakout 4 – Heartfelt Leadership Using the Languages of Appreciation Jessica Jones | Prescott | ||
| Breakout 5 – From Purpose to Progress: Heart-led Career Planning in Higher Ed Chelse Thomas and Tracy DeSoto | Arizona | ||
| Breakout 6– Unlocking Fun and Connection at Work: How to Make Your Professional Space More Engaging Chelsea Burke | Chino | ||
| 11:25 am | 11:40 am | Break/Transition | |
| 11:40 am | 1:10 pm | Lunch Program | Mentorship Program | Cottonwood/Clarkdale Ballrooms |
| 1:10 pm | 1:25 pm | Break/Transition | |
| 1:25 pm | 2:15 pm | Breakout 1 – Strategies for Difficult Conversations in Uncertain Times Laura Novotny and Jackie Rindone | Granite Mountain |
| Breakout 2 – Mastering Leadership: Prioritizing Through the Glass Ball Theory Julie Koepp | Verde A | ||
| Breakout 3 – Building Up Your First-Gen Week Programming Madyson Sklar, Fadumo Jaji-Aweis, and Idman Ibrahim | Verde B | ||
| Breakout 4 – In the Middle of It All: Heart-led Leadership I Times of Transition Danielle Crosby | Prescott | ||
| Breakout 5 – Beyond Access: Rethinking Higher Education for Immigrant Women Irina Del Genio | Arizona | ||
| Breakout 6– Sweeping the Leg (or Not): Cobra Kai’s Lessons in Heart-led Leadership Sandra Brightwell | Chino | ||
| 2:15 pm | 2:30 pm | Break/Transition (Snack Break) | |
| 2:30 pm | 3:20 pm | Breakout 1 – Mindfulness and Well-Being Through Creative 3-D Art Helen Stephenson | Granite Mountain |
| Breakout 2 – Challenging Othering: Resiliency and Persistence Among Latina Scholars Kenya Jimenez | Verde A | ||
| Breakout 3 – From Head to Heart: Leading Transformational Change Janelle Chiasera | Verde B | ||
| Breakout 4 – Your Are Enough: Anxiety is a Liar Debbie Chapman | Prescott | ||
| Breakout 5 – Resilient by Design: Leadership Practices for Times of Change Nika Gueci | Arizona | ||
| Breakout 6– Training with the Heart: Building Faculty Development that Supports, Connects and Sustains Valerie Akbulut | Chino | ||
| 3:20 pm | 3:35 pm | Break/Transition | |
| 3:35 pm | 4:25 pm | AWHE Chapter Lead Round Table Hosted by AWHE Chapter Relations | Sedona |
| AWHE – Information Session | Verde A | ||
| Bingo | TBD | ||
| 4:25 pm | 5:00 pm | Happy Hour/Mixer | Foyer |
| 5:00 pm | 6:30 pm | Awards Dinner | Cottonwood/Clarkdale/Sedona Ballrooms |
| Start Time | End Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 am | 9:20 am | Buffett Breakfast | Cottonwood/Clarkdale/Sedona Ballrooms |
| 8:30 am | 9:20 am | Keynote – Tasha Telles “Creating an Ecology of Bravery: Challenging and Changing Standards” | Cottonwood/Clarkdale/Sedona Ballrooms |
| 9:20 am | 9:35 am | Break/Transition | |
| 9:35 am | 10:25 am | Breakout 1 – Fueling Your Passion – Writing Your Next Chapter Arezu Corella and Kasey Urquidez | Sedona |
| Breakout 2 – Blooming Where You Are Planted: How to Bring Health and Wellness Into Our Daily Environment Caryn Isom Fraser and Asia Branham | Verde A | ||
| Breakout 3 – Imposter Syndrome Reframed: From Self-Doubt to Superpower Heather Leavitt | Verde B | ||
| Breakout 4 – Be An Informed Consumer of Healthcare: Understanding Health Information Regina Kraus | Prescott | ||
| Breakout 5 – Three Chefs in the Kitchen: How We Enhanced Our Collaboration Though AI Kim Mathie and Amanda Harrell | Arizona | ||
| Breakout 6– Rollercoaster of Change: Overcoming Obstacles with Understanding to Rise to Challenges Honna Moffatt | Chino | ||
| 10:25 am | 10:40 am | Break/Transition | |
| 10:40 am | 11:30 am | Breakout 1 – Designing Belonging: Tools for Connection in Higher Education Carly Croman | Sedona |
| Breakout 2 – Coaching with Heart: Facilitating Individual Learning and Organizational Change Kate Schmidt and Caron Sada | Verde A | ||
| Breakout 3 – Leading from Within: The Power of Knowing and Growing Your Unique Leadership Style Peggy Francis | Verde B | ||
| Breakout 4 – It’s Always Sunny in Academia? Workplace Bullying of Professional Staff in Higher Education Tara Burke | Prescott | ||
| Breakout 5 – When You Don’t Agree: Heart-led Leadership in the Middle Jennifer Koehmstedt | Arizona | ||
| Breakout 6– The Seed of HOPE Grows into WORTH Lynanne Lasota | Chino | ||
| 11:30 am | 11:45 am | Break/Transition | |
| 11:45 am | 1:00 pm | Lunch| Announcements | Raffle | Cottonwood/Clarkdale Ballrooms |
| 1:00 pm | Conference End/Departure |