Featured Speakers

CEIA is excited to have the following featured speakers for this year’s conference.

Monday's Featured Speaker

Where Purpose Meets Practice: Scaling Executive Experience within Work-Integrated Learning

Nick Bayer, Founder and CEO, Saxbys

 

In an era where only 11% of business leaders believe graduates possess the necessary “Power Skills” for the workforce, the gap between the classroom and the career has never been more apparent. For Nick Bayer, Founder and CEO of Saxbys, the solution lies in Capitalizing on Experience by turning traditional campus services into immersive leadership laboratories.

In this featured session, Nick explores the “Where Purpose Meets Practice” nexus through the lens of the Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform (ELP). He will detail how higher education and industry can co-create “high-stakes” environments where undergraduate students carry full accountability for a multi-million dollar business. By supporting this rigorous practice with a B-Corp mission, the ELP transforms theory into tangible outcomes—specifically for first-generation students and those seeking social mobility.

Attendees will explore a blueprint for designing work-integrated learning that shifts from simple task-based internships to total P&L responsibility. Nick will demonstrate how this model accelerates the development of critical competencies like financial literacy, emotional intelligence, and resilience, proving that “Capitalizing on Experience” is the ultimate strategy for the future of work-integrated learning.

About Our Speaker

When Nick Bayer founded Saxbys in 2005, he didn’t want it to be like any other coffee company. Over the years, Saxbys has found its true identity as a pioneering education and opportunity company fueled by great coffee and hospitality. Saxbys has evolved into an Education company – disguised as a coffee company – by empowering and supporting the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs through experiential learning. Since 2005, Saxbys has had a singular mission: Make Life Better. For Nick, making life better is achieved through bringing people together, whether as consummate Little League team captain, one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEOs,” or through community building, meaningful workforce development and place making in Saxbys’ cafes.
 
From its cafes to its headquarters, Saxbys’ core values are imperative to the business and guest experience, especially as it launched and grew The Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform (The Saxbys E.L.P.). In 2015, in partnership with Drexel University, Saxbys opened the nation’s first entirely student-run business, in which the Student CEO earns academic credit, a salary and bonuses, while having full responsibility for the business’ Profit & Loss statement.
 
The Saxbys E.L.P. emboldens the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs by providing undergraduate students with dynamic, hands-on experience as a complement to traditional, in-classroom learning. In just ten years, the Saxbys E.L.P has grown from one cafe to over 30 across 21 college campuses.
 
Beyond Saxbys, Nick holds a number of leadership positions in higher education and in the Philadelphia community. He is currently the Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell University–his alma mater–in their SJ Johnson College of Business. Nick serves on the Board of The Franklin Institute, the Community College of Philadelphia, Drexel University’s Close School of Entrepreneurship, and the Corporate Council for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He also serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. 
 

Tuesday's Featured Speaker

Capitalizing on Collaboration: AI, Higher Ed, and the Future of Workforce Development

Drew Bercich, President & CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards

 

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the American workforce, creating both unprecedented challenges and significant opportunities for early-career professionals. In this featured session, Andrew Bercich, President & CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), explores the critical nexus between higher education, employers, and the nation’s 570+ workforce development boards. Drawing on his extensive leadership experience at the intersection of technology and talent, Andrew will demystify the business-led structure of the workforce system and examine how intentional, cross-sector partnerships can align academic curricula with the rapidly evolving demands of the labor market.

The discussion moves beyond the standard automation narrative to address how AI is fundamentally changing the nature of work, required digital skills, and overall job quality. Attendees will gain strategic insights into how work-integrated learning (WIL) provides the essential contextual and human-centric skills that AI cannot replicate, while exploring flexible new models such as virtual micro-internships and AI-supported project work. By examining current federal policy initiatives and successful upskilling models, Andrew will provide a forward-looking framework for all stakeholders—universities, employers, and workforce leaders—to partner intentionally and ensure that the next generation of leaders is prepared to thrive alongside emerging technologies.

About Our Speaker

Andrew “Drew” Bercich is a nationally recognized talent and workforce systems leader with more than 20 years of experience building organizations in complex, high-growth environments. Appointed as CEO of NAWB in January 2026, he leads the national voice for over 570 workforce development boards, positioning them as strategic partners in global economic competitiveness.

Before taking the helm at NAWB, Andrew spent much of his career in the private sector, holding senior leadership roles at Amazon, IBM, Comcast, and Charles Schwab. Most notably, he served as the Head of Talent Acquisition for Amazon’s Alexa and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) organizations, giving him a front-row seat to the technological shifts currently redefining the labor market.

Andrew’s unique perspective bridges the gap between employer demands and workforce policy. He has served on the NAWB Board of Directors for 11 years—including a term as Board Chair—and has held leadership roles on local workforce boards and the Colorado Workforce Development Council. A graduate of the private sector who pivoted to follow a passion for workforce equity, Andrew is dedicated to ensuring that the national talent system is proactive, connective, and grounded in what works on the ground.

 

Annual Conference 2026

Please GIVE!!!!

October is national CEIA Month!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Join us at one of our great events to network and learn more about our great opportunities.

EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE WEBSITE

Our 1 Stop All things Experience Magazine...Click here to see our new issue!!

E-mail: info@ceiainc.org © 2022 Cooperative Education & Internship Association, Inc. | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Login | Refund Policy