Succession Planning Pathway Sessions

Monday, February 14, 2022

Prior to 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast

Don't forget to allot some time before the first session starts to go grab breakfast from a coffee shop using your NASFAA-provided gift card.

8:30 a.m. - 9:20 a.m. - Opening Session: Welcome Remarks and Washington Update

Speakers: Brent Tener, NASFAA national chair, and Justin Draeger, NASFAA president & CEO

9:30 a.m.  - 11:00 a.m. ET - Idea Lab #1: Culture of Leadership Growth

Speakers: Brent Tener, NASFAA national chair, and Susan Collins

The foundation of succession planning is growing leaders within your office. In this session you'll learn how to establish and foster a culture of leadership growth as step one in planning for the future. The benefits make work fun, supportive, and future focused, enabling the delivery of amazing results.

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET - Idea Lab #2: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Session - Build Relationships and Balance the Multiple Interests of Diverse Stakeholders

Speakers: Dr. Donna Davis, diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Houston Community College, and Dr. Ed Bush, president at Cosumnes Community College

In this session, a team of experts will discuss the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education. A focus on DEI assists with increasing awareness and sensitivity, identifies behavioral tools to foster a more inclusive environment, and improves the cultural competency and overall climate. Speakers will discuss successful DEI initiatives, best practices, how to build an inclusive environment, and the importance of DEI in recruiting, retaining, promoting, and engaging employees.

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET - Lunch

Ninety minutes are allotted for lunchtime. We recommend taking 30 to 45 minutes to grab food from a NASFAA-sponsored food truck and eat — whether in your hotel room or in a public space in the hotel, depending on your comfort level. Please note, conference meeting rooms will be closed during the lunch break. We encourage you to use the remaining 45 to 60 minutes to head to the Exhibit Area to network with other attendees and our event vendors.

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET - Idea Lab #3: Helping Your Team Expand Their Circles of Leadership — Personal, Professional, Associational

Speaker: Daniel Barkowitz, assistant vice president for financial aid and veterans affairs at Valencia College

In this session, we will explore how we each intersect with our circles of leadership. We will start with our "Circle of Control" (our actions, thoughts, response, etc), we will move to our "Circle of Influence" (our institutions, our teams, our students), and we will finish with our "Circle of Concern" (our associations, our industry, and our social justice mission to make college affordable for all). This moving session will educate you, inspire you and challenge you to continue on your personal growth trajectory. As part of our session we will also be introduced to Valencia College Peace and Justice Institute's "13 Principles for How We Treat Each Other," a philosophical approach which encourages open and honest dialogue in a constructive and engaging manner when approaching difficult conversations.

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET - Idea Lab #4: Mentorship Programs

Speakers: Heather Boutell, director of financial aid at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Brenda Hicks, NASFAA past national chair

NASFAA, regions, states, and even some institutions, have created informal and formal mentorship programs over the years to develop future leaders. In this session, we will share research on the effectiveness of these opportunities and how they make a difference. Join us to hear current examples of programs and how you can participate or create your own experience.

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. ET - Networking Reception for Conference Attendees and Exhibitors

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Prior to 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast

Don't forget to allot some time before the first session starts to go grab breakfast from a coffee shop using your NASFAA-provided gift card.

8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. ET - General Session

9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. ET - Break

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ET - Idea Lab #5: Retaining Talented Employees

Speakers: Anne McDermott, Salve Regina University, and Carla McKnight, vice president of organizational development and human resources at Valencia College

A critical area financial aid offices are facing today is hiring and retaining new talent. Individuals enter the workforce eager to make their mark and commit themselves to their work. The panel discussion will discuss strategies for hiring and retaining talent, creating a culture of training, professional development and overcoming challenges associated with succession planning. 

Objectives:

• • Discover strategies for hiring and retaining talent 
  • Learn from seasoned practitioners
  • Create an environment for people to thrive 
  • Discover methods to address and overcome challenges

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET - Lunch

Ninety minutes are allotted for lunchtime. We recommend taking 30 to 45 minutes to grab food from a NASFAA-sponsored food truck and eat — whether in your hotel room or in a public space in the hotel, depending on your comfort level. Please note, conference meeting rooms will be closed during the lunch break. We encourage you to use the remaining 45 to 60 minutes to head to the Exhibit Area to network with other attendees and our event vendors.

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET - Idea Labs #6 & #7: Developing Your Succession Plan

Idea Lab #6

Speakers: JoEllen Price, executive director of financial aid at Houston Community College, and Greg Thornburg. Panelists:  Dr. Anne Kress, president  at Northern Virginia Community College; Nick Prewitt, director of financial aid at Stony Brook University; and Samuel Taylor 

This session will concentrate on the concepts of succession planning and will ensure the essentials on how to build a plan are included. This will feature both general guidelines to get started and real operational steps to make this important process successful at your specific institution. There will be discussion on making hiring a consideration and identifying your successor. 

Idea Lab #7

Speaker: Brad Barnett, NASFAA national chair-elect and director of financial aid and scholarships at James Madison University

Experienced succession planners will lead your team, determined by your school-type, as participants will have various roles in developing a mock succession planning template. Participants will use the knowledge gained in Idea Lab #6 to make significant contributions to this exercise. Each group will have a trained leader who will have clear instructions on how to develop a mock plan that will be shared with participants. Potential supporting topics will be used that can influence the creation of the plan for specific institutional situations. Each group will report-out so all participants will benefit from the work of the other groups.

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET - Hill Visits 

NASFAA Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo participants are typically encouraged to participate in meetings with their respective delegations in the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill on day three of the conference, however congressional offices are not currently scheduling in-person meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If the congressional office buildings have opened to the public by the time of the conference, we would like to be able to take attendees to the Hill for scheduled meetings. If that continues to be an impossibility, we will explore options for registrants to conduct Hill visits virtually, whether during or after the conference. NASFAA will continue to monitor visitor restrictions at the U.S. Capitol Complex and will provide updates on the Capitol Hill Visit Information webpage.