Below is a tentative outline of the 2026 conference schedule.u00a0 Please continue to check the conference site and your CEIA News Brief for updates about keynote speakers and breakout sessions.u00a0
PLEASE NOTE:u00a0 Schedule is subject to change.
| 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM | 2025-2026 Board of Directors Meeting | Benneker |
| 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM | CEIA Board of Directors Dinner | Off Site |
| 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM | 2026-2027 CEIA Board of Directors Meeting | Banneker |
| 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Registration | Second Floor Foyer |
| 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Exhibits Open | Second Floor Foyer |
| 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | In-Depth Workshops Choose one in-depth workshop facilitated by CEIA Board Members |
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| Breaking Into Work-Integrated Learning: The Essentials Toolkit for New Practitioners Facilitators: Dr. Tracy Dowling, CEIA President-Elect Dr. Richard Robles, CEIA Vice President for Marketing & Communications | Banneker |
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| Directors’ Forum: For higher education senior leaders (executive directors and directors) who manage work-integrated learning offices | Wright |
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| Nuts and Bolts of Registered Apprenticeships An interactive session delving into tangible tools, templates, resources, and best practices surrounding the workforce development model of USDOL registered apprenticeship. Facilitated by: Dr. Kathy Dickson, Apprenticeship Carolina | Whitney |
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| 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Beyond the Job Board: Unlock the Hidden 80% of Internships and Co-ops Facilitated By: Kevin Wu, President, CareerShift | Bell |
| 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | First-Time Conference Attendee Welcome Mingle Hosted by Celeste Lindell, CEIA Regional Vice President- Region 5 Madeline Tympanick, CEIA Regional Vice President- Region 3 Carissa Forde, CEIA Regional Vice President- Region 2 First time attending a CEIA Conference? Everyone new to the CEIA experience is invited to attend them mingle and meet the CEIA Board of Directors, some experienced practitioners, as well as other new conference attendees. | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 5:15 PM – 6:00 PM | Regional Meetings Members’ regional affiliation is based on mailing address. This is an opportunity for members to hear about association updates and opportunities to get involved in the association. |
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| Region 1 – Northeast Hosted by Corrine Condon, CEIA Region 1 Vice President Region includes members in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont | Bell |
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| Region 2 – Mid-Atlantic Hosted by Dr. Carissa Forde, CEIA Region 2 Vice President Region includes members in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia | Edison F |
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| Region 3 – Southeast Hosted by Maddie Tympanick, CEIA Region 3 Vice President Region includes members in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee | Wright |
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| Region 4 – Midwest Hosted by David Schwartz, CEIA Region 4 Vice President Region includes members in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin | Banneker |
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| Region 5 – Southwest Hosted by Celeste Lindell, CEIA Region 5 Vice President Region includes members in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas | Whitney |
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| Region 6 – Mountain/Plains Hosted by Joseph Banks, CEIA Region 6 Vice President Region includes members in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming | Edison G |
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| Region 7 – West Hosted by Ralph Brigham, CEIA Region 7 Vice President Region includes members in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington | Edison E |
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| Region 8 – International Hosted by Ross Johnston, CEIA Region 8 Vice President | Carver |
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| 6:15 PM – 8:00 PM | President’s Reception Join CEIA President Kristen Gallo for an opening night reception. Network with colleagues and build relationships with cooperative education and internship professionals. Light hors d’oeuvres and cash bar will be available. First hour sponsored by the Westin Alexandria Old Town Hotel | Second Floor Foyer |
| 8:00 PM | Dinner on your own | |
| 8:00 – 11:00 PM | Networking Suite | |
| 7:00 AM | Morning Exercise with Carissa Dr. Carissa Forde, CEIA Region 2 Vice President | Meet in the Lobby |
| 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM | Breakfast Buffet | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Registration | Second Floor Foyer |
| 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Exhibits Open | Second Floor Foyer |
| 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Coffee with an Exhibitor | |
| 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM | Welcome and Opening Remarks | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM | Featured Speaker: Nick Bayer, Founder & CEO, Saxbys | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Refreshment Break, Visit Exhibitors | Second Floor Foyer |
| 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM | Interactive Breakout Sessions I | |
| Virginia’s Regional Work-Based Learning Panel: Strategies for Internship Access for ALL Students Saranette Williams, Norfolk State University Kathleen Powell, William & Mary | Bell |
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| Building a Structured Internship Program that Lasts Cate Bechtold, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts | Whitney |
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| Beyond Journals: Scaffolding the Entire Experiential Learning Cycle in Internship Courses Meg Joseph, Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY | Banneker |
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| Elevated Employer Engagement: Connecting Students + Industry Beyond the Info Session Jenny Strickland, Purdue University Kyle Liechty, Tesla | Wright |
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| Evolving Career Services with Data and AI Joyce Mueller, University of Cincinnati Lindner College of Business | Edison E |
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| Breaking Borders, Building Bridges: A New Approach to International Student Career Success Camila Bolsoni & Samantha Carmer, New College of Florida | Edison F |
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| Building a College-Wide Work-Based Learning Ecosystem: A practical framework for access, data, and scale Treva Wynn & Dani Heeter, Sinclair Community College | Edison G |
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| 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM | Interactive Breakout Sessions II | |
| Building Bridges: Empowering Youth Through Community-Driven Apprenticeships Jennifer Lester, Rockingham Community College Diane Sawyer, Reidsville Chamber of Commerce | Bell |
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| From Start to Finish: Leveraging Career Technology and AI Across the College Experience Abby Conrad & Aleah Coppin, Youngstown State University | Whitney |
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| Enhancing Co-op Readiness: Scaling a Co-op Prep Course Ria Kalinowski & Sarah Abramson, Wentworth Institute of Technology | Banneker |
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| Credit Where It’s Due: A Successful Launch of College-Wide Internship for Credit Program Madhvi Acharya, University of Central Florida | Wright |
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| Decision-Making in the Co-op Search and Beyond: Supporting Students Through Reflection & Data Gaby Fiorenza-Hagopian, Becky Buchmelter, & Michaela Modica, Northeastern University | Edison E |
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| Designing Choice-Driven Co-op Curriculum: A Pilot for Student Agency & Engagement Corey Fereday, Cathy Merlo, & Michelle Taylor, Northeastern University | Edison F |
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| Faculty Partnerships for Student Career Success Faith Stipanovich, SHRM | Edison G |
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| 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch Buffet/ Annual Business Meeting / Member Recognition | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM | Interactive Breakout Sessions III | |
| Human Capital: The Missing Piece to Enhancing Student Employability in Internship Programs Meg Joseph, Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY | Bell |
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| Statewide Work-Based Learning Program Implementation in Ohio Sri Vidya Uppalapati, Ohio Department of Higher Education Treva Wynn & Dani Heeter, Sinclair Community College Dr. Selena Myers, University of Akron | Whitney |
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| Sustainable Learning & Professional Connections for Accounting Major Internships: What Works and Why Dr. Kathy Tuberville, University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business and Economics | Banneker |
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| Placing International Interns: Lessons Learned Joe Tort & Evan Carr, Purdue University | Wright |
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| From Spark to Submission: Sharing Your WIL Story Patrick Francis, Purdue University, CEIA Experience Magazine™ Editor Dr. Kristen Gallo, Temple University, CEIA President | Edison E |
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| Double the Fun! Scaling a Co-op Program to Support Institutional Priorities Tiffany Medeiros & Melissa Welch, University of Massachusetts Lowell | Edison F |
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| From Silos to Synergy: Scaling Experiential Learning Collegewide at NOVA Kristy Balbuena & Nicole Evans, Northern Virginia Community College | Edison G |
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| 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Refreshment Break, Visit Exhibitors | Second Floor Foyer |
| 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM | Interactive Breakout Sessions IV | |
| A Collaborative, Tech-Driven Framework for Strengthening Internship Programs Soulyka Agana-Woodbine, Trinity Washington University | Bell |
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| Fostering STEM Students’ Career Pathways for Societal Innovation Sue Bayley, Purdue University | Whitney |
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| AI and Emerging Technologies in Internship Management, Skill Development, and Partnerships Ben Groff, GradLeaders Kelsey Bickett, Quanthub | Banneker |
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| Hope Isn’t Enough: Expanding WIL Pathways for Learners with Criminal Records Julia Perez Stotts, Alamo Colleges District | Wright |
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| From Policy to Placement: A University Blueprint for Rigorous, Enterprise-Focused Internships Jeralyn Westercamp, University of Iowa | Edison E |
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| Reimagining Co-op Reflection: Enhancing Multi-Stakeholder Engagement and Assessment Michelle Fiorenza-Hagopian & Alex Cantor, Northeastern University | Edison F |
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| Innovative State-wide WIL Initiatives for Virginia Dr. Sam Ratcliffe & Dr. Lauren Jackson, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia | Edison G |
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| 4:00 PM | Open Evening- Explore Alexandria with your colleagues | |
| 5:30 PM | Market Square Walking Tour Requires pre-registration | Meet at Market Square, 301 King Street, at 5:15 PM |
| 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Nighttime Monument Tour Requires pre-registration | Meet in the lobby |
| 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Networking Suite |
| 7:00 AM | Fitness Walk with Carissa Dr. Carissa Forde, CEIA Region 2 Vice President | Meet in the Lobby |
| 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM | Breakfast Buffet | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Registration | Second Floor Foyer |
| 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Exhibits Open | Second Floor Foyer |
| 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Coffee with an Exhibitor | Second Floor Foyer |
| 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM | Updates and Announcements | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM | Featured Speaker Andrew Bercich, CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Refreshment Break, Visit Exhibitors | Second Floor Foyer |
| 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM | Interactive Breakout Sessions V | |
| What’s Your WBLE?: Designing Systems for JMU’s Work-Based Learning Experience Initiative Anna Maria Johnson, James Madison University | Bell |
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| YOU’RE HEROES: Positioning WIL Programs as Drivers of Institutional Enrollment and Retention Jeannie Burlowski, Author | Whitney |
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| CEIA Fellow Presentation- Designing Internships That Matter: Engaging Students as Contributors, Not Just Interns Chelta Wray, Crystal Bridges | Banneker |
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| The Knight Shadow Program: Credentialing Career Readiness through Job Shadowing Sandra Leon-Barth, University of Central Florida | Wright |
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| Scalable Strategies for Equity in Experiential Learning Chestley Talley & Kathy Graham, Jarvis Christian University Michael Oelbaum, Jobs Connected | Edison E |
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| Workforce Boards 101 Connie Sharp, National Association of Workforce Boards | Edison F |
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| Who am I? Aligning Purpose to Leadership Ross Johnston, Beinn Leadership Inc., CEIA Region 8 Vice President | Edison G |
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| 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM | Interactive Breakout Sessions VI | |
| Ascending into Leadership: Practical Strategies for Leadership Growth in Our Field David Schwartz, Bradley University, CEIA Region 4 Vice President Dr. Kristen Gallo, Temple University, CEIA President | Bell |
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| Who Am I as an Engineer? Unpacking Identity Through Co-op Dr. Richard Robles, University of Cincinnati, CEIA Vice President for Marketing & Communications | Whitney |
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| Strengthening Career Readiness through a College-Wide Transformational Experience Model Jennifer Tortora, Virginia Tech | Banneker |
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| Reimagining the Internship Fair: How FIU’s Internship Week Redefined Student and Employer Engagement Martha Rosa, Florida International University | Wright |
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| Power in Partnership: Partnering with Your Local Chamber for Workforce Impact Jennifer Brown, Forsyth Technical Community College | Edison E |
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| AI + LinkedIn Hacks to Scale Student Impact & Employer Engagement in WIL Programs Jeremy Schifeling, The Job Insiders | Edison F |
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| Expanding Paid Internship Opportunities and Infusing Career Readiness Curriculum Betsy Hays, Jaydene Elvin, Maria Dolores Morillo & Michelle Bellaver, California State University, Fresno | Edison G |
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| 12:15 PM – 2:00 PM | Luncheon & Member Recognition | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM | Interactive Breakout Sessions VII | |
| AI & Internships: Data Driven Insights from Internship Supervisors and Students Cherie Pierce Lynch, Endicott College, CEIA Vice President for Research & Surveys Chris Westgate, Jaime Freedman & Cher Harrington, Endicott College | Bell |
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| Internships 101: A Toolkit on Increasing Reach of Employer Training Dr. Tracey Dowling, Florida State University, CEIA President-Elect Cheyenne Egstad, Florida State University | Whitney |
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| Georgetown VIEW: A Signature, Scalable Micro-Internship Program Jodi Schneiderman & Elizabeth Schill, Georgetown University Penelope Safioleas, LunchWith.ai | Banneker |
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| Indy Amplified, Summer in the Circle City: Designing Purposeful Summer Programs for Intern Success Kate Caward & Katie Nelson, Purdue University | Wright |
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| ChargeOn with Purpose: Advancing Work-Integrated Learning through Alumni Mentorship Tiffany Johnson, University of Central Florida, CEIA Associate of Practitioner Competencies | Edison E |
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| Second Chances, Stronger Outcomes: A Framework to Support Students After Job Search Failure Cheryl Arruda, Northeastern University Corrine Condon, Northeastern University, CEIA Region 1 Vice President | Edison F |
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| Leveling Up UML’s Co-op Program with Our Greatest Asset: Co-op Peer Leaders Melissa Welch & Tiffany Medeiros, University of Massachusetts Lowell | Edison G |
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| 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Refreshment Break, Visit Exhibitors | Second Floor Foyer |
| 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM | Interactive Breakout Sessions VIII | |
| From Insight to Impact: Leveraging Learning in a Business Internship Dr. Susan Yturraspe, Yturraspe & Co./ The Chicago School | Bell |
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| Experience Where You Learn, Impact Where You Live: Expanding Internships for Student Growth Iteeah Pounds & NeKenjie Tarver, Georgia Tech | Whitney |
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| Expanding Internship Access: Administrative, Employer, Faculty, and Staff Partnerships AJ Van Valkenburg & Dr. Lauren Berger, University of Portland | Banneker |
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| CEIA Fellow Presentation- Cultivating Belonging: Guiding Queer Students Through Career and Identity Samantha Carmer, New College of Florida | Wright |
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| Designing Inclusive Infrastructure for Non-Credit Work-Integrated Learning Programs James Mallory, Rochester Institute of Technology/ National Technical Institute for the Deaf | Edison E |
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| Experiential Learning at The Mill (a Student-Run Creative Agency) Sonya Laywer, Stevenson University | Edison F |
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| Building Capacity for ExL: Scaling Internships and Reducing Barriers through Grant-Funded Innovation Becca Scott & Julia Ward, Virginia Tech | Edison G |
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| 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM | Awards Reception | Second Floor Foyer |
| 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM | Awards Banquet – Celebrate achievements in the field | Edison Ballroom ABCD |
| 8:30 PM – 11:00 PM | Networking Suite Casual networking opportunity with your fellow conference attendees. |
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