VACE 2026 Conference Schedule

**Events Subject to Updates**

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Time 

Location

Event
11:00 am Pre-Conference Area Registration Opens
11:00- am - 12:30 pm Salon C Newcomer Event and Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm

Blackfriars Playhouse

Leadership the Shakespeare Way and Welcome
American Shakespeare Center – Just Next Door!
2:45 pm - 3:00 pm   BREAK - Continuous Coffee and Beverage Service Throughout the Conference
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Salons A, B, C

 Breakout #1

  1. Building Bridges:  Mentorship in Action.  Presenter:  Carolyn Sutphin (SCHEV)
  2. Strategic Management of Employer Relations Using an Algorithmic Informed Tiered Structure.  Presenter: Natalie Slone (VMI)
  3. Career Across the Curriculum: Building Faculty Capacity and Community.  Presenters: Jeanne Mekolichick, Paige Tan and Rajas Patil, Radford University.
 4:00 pm- 5:30 pm Hotel Lobby  Hotel Check-In
Check into your room and relax for a while before the President's Employer Networking Reception and Awards Banquet
 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Colonnade Room President's Employer Networking Reception
Enjoy networking with your colleagues and take the opportunity to tell local employers how great VACE is!
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm Ballroom VACE Awards Banquet
Enjoy a delicious dinner followed by our VACE Awards Ceremony
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm Second Floor Parlor Hospitality Suite
Get into your jeans and join us on the balcony for social time!

 

Thursday, April 23

Time

Location

Event
6:30 am - 9:00 am Breakfast Gallery Breakfast
Enjoy Hotel 24 South's famous breakfast buffet at your leisure.  A great time to share a table with your VACE friends.
9:00 am - 4:00 pm Pre-Conference Area Registration Open
9:00 am - 9:50 am Ballroom Business Meeting
Committee Sign-Ups
10:00 am - 11:15 am Ballroom Fireside Chat with Keynote Speakers
Nicole Hall, NACE Chair-Elect and Christian Garcia, NACE Mackes Leadership Award and NACE Mentor of the Year
11:15 am - 12 noon Ballroom Employer Panel
Discussion with VACE and Local Employer Members
12 noon - 1:00 pm Ballroom Lunch
Enjoy a delicious buffet while networking with friends and colleagues
12:50 pm Ballroom

Door Prize Drawing
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm

Salons A, B, C

Breakout #2 (3 concurrent sessions)

  1. Expanding Pathways, Expanding Possibilities: Transforming Work-Based Learning Experiences in Higher Education.  Carolyn Sutphin and Lauren Jackson (V-TOP)
  2. The Supervisor's Toolkit for Creating Career Ready Students.  Sam Squyars
  3. Lost in Translation: Making Liberal Arts Learning Employer-Ready.  Meghan Jester (VT)
2:00 pm - 2:50 pm

Salons A, B, C

Breakout #3 (3 concurrent sessions)

  1. Coaching Students in the Age of AI.  Brendan Harris
  2. Building a Career Ecosystem: The Future of Career Development in Higher Education, Julia Lapan and Heather Palmer
  3. Beyond the Degree:  Work-Based Learning for Liberal Arts Success
3:00 pm   Afternoon Off and Dinner on Your Own
A great time for networking while enjoying Staunton
 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Second Floor Parlor  Hospitality Suite

 

Friday, April 24

Time

Location

Event
6:30 am - 9:00 am Breakfast Gallery Breakfast
Enjoy Hotel 24 South's famous breakfast buffet at your leisure.  A great time to share a table with your VACE friends
9:00 am - 9:50 am

Salons A, B, C

Breakout #4 (3 concurrent sessions)

  1. Advancing Internships at Scale:  A Statewide Partnership Approach in Virginia.  Presenters:  Alisha Bazemore (V-TOP) and Debbie Melvin (VEDP)
  2. Mandatory Career Prep Classes - The Why and How-To.  Kristin Stephens, Christendom College
  3. Career Services as a Catalyst for the Campus: How to Leverage Career Services to be a Driver for Enrollment, Retention, Student Engagement and Alumni Relations.  Matthew Frederick and Christine Arias
9:55 am Ballroom Door Prize Drawing
10:00 am - 11:15 am Ballroom Roundtable Discussions
11:15 am - 12:00 noon   Gen Z Panel
12:00 noon - 12:15 pm   Closing