Unlock the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in elevating your community college’s marketing and PR efforts. Learn how Lane Community College has successfully leveraged AI tools like ChatGPT to increase visibility and achieve remarkable outcomes—even amid budget and staffing constraints. Tailored for college presidents, board members, and administrators, this session offers localized, practical insights you can immediately apply to your own institution. – Brett Rowlett – Executive Director of External Relations, Lane Community College

Looking to enhance the connections between your institutional values and budget decisions? How you make budget decisions is important for building trust with the community, students, employees, and your board. In this session, presenters will share and engage participants in applying a process and tool to draw in more voices and have deeper discussions that lead to values-based budget recommendations for your Board and leaders. – Sarah Lechner, Principle, Coraggio Group; Jeff Shaffer, Vice President of Finance & Operations & CFO, Clackamas Community College; Casey Layton, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Clackamas Community College; Iriene Konev, Board Member, Clackamas Community College

PERS is often in the news, yet is generally not well understood. What are the basics? Why are the costs associated with the pension program so high and why do they only seem to increase? What are the implications for community college budgets going forward? What are ‘side accounts’, why did jurisdictions borrow to set them up, and what happens after they expire in FY 2028? What are the implications for your employees and for you as employers? These questions and more will be answered in as clear a way as the topic of PERS allows! – Carol Samuels, Managing Director, Piper Sandler; Brendan Watkins, Vice President, Piper Sandler

Too often, future of work conversations focus on the increasing digital skills, automation, and AI requirements, but not the policy and practice levers that states and colleges can employ to prepare for the future while closing opportunity gaps and driving an inclusive economy. It’s imperative to re-center students and workers. Hear what’s happening in Oregon and nationally, and consider how colleges can transform and shape the possibilities ahead. – Kate Kinder, State Strategies Director, National Skills Coalition; Dr. Jessica Howard, President, Chemeketa Community College

This presentation will focus on legal issues and developments important for boards to know because of the impact on community colleges. This includes recent court decisions involving free speech and freedom of religion; developments around affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; developments in labor law and union organizing; and a refresher on government transparency and ethics laws that apply to the board and board leadership. The presentation will include an overview of hot topics in the law, followed by a best practices discussion in small groups. – Liani J. Reeves, Attorney, Miller Nash

In an era marked by increasing polarization and charged rhetoric, this presentation seeks to address the pressing need to develop new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies to continue to advance the community college mission. This presentation acknowledges the current landscape of heightened tensions, where societal, political, and cultural differences often lead to fragmentation; emphasizing the important role of community colleges in nurturing broad inclusivity. – Vivi Caleffi Prichard, Chief Diversity Officer, Chemeketa Community College; Casey Layton, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Clackamas Community College

Understand the hype around generative AI based tools like ChatGPT. Explore the role and impact of these AI-based tools within Higher Ed, and uncover strategies to manage risks with generative AI. – Saby Waraich, Chief Information Officer, Clackamas Community College

The adult education population is a pipeline of potential community college enrollees, & the State Team has developed a robust culture of data for WIOA Title II programs across Oregon. The team uses data to provide technical assistance & professional development to programs to meet local, state, & federal goals. Additionally, the team provides data use & literacy training opportunities to local directors, data professionals, & instructors to inform programmatic decisions & drive learner success. – Kelly Zinck, Education Team Research Analyst, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC); Ashley Garrigan, ABE State Leadership Coordinator, HECC