VACE 2026 Conference Schedule

**Events Subject to Updates**

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Time 

Event
11:00 am Registration Opens
11:30- am - Noon Newcomer Event and Lunch
 

Enjoy Lunch on Your Own Before the Conference Begins
Enjoy many of the downtown restaurants before or after you check in to the conference.  Lists will be available with suggestions.
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm Leadership the Shakespeare Way and Welcome
American Shakespeare Center - Just Next Door!
2:45 pm - 3:00 pm BREAK - Coffee/Beverage Service
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

 Breakout #1

  1. InternshipsVA, V-TOP and VEDP Initiatives. Presenters: Dr. Alisha Bazemore (V-TOP) and Debbie Melvin (VEDP)
  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 Check-In
Check into your room and relax for a while before the President's Networking Reception and Awards Banquet
 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Employer Recruitment and Networking Reception
Enjoy networking with your colleagues and take the opportunity to tell local employers how great VACE is!
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm VACE Awards Banquet
Enjoy a delicious dinner followed by our VACE Awards Ceremony
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm Hospitality Suite
Get into your jeans and join us on the balcony for social time!

 

Thursday, April 23

Time

Event
6:30 am - 9:00 am 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 Registration Opens
9:00 am - 9:50 am Business Meeting
Committee Sign-Ups
10:00 am - 11:15 am 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 Employer Panel
Discussion with VACE Employer Members
12 noon - 1:00 pm Lunch
Enjoy a delicious buffet while networking with friends and colleagues
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm

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

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  Hospitality Suite

 

Friday, April 24

Time

Event
6:30 am - 9:00 am 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

Breakout #4 (3 concurrent sessions)

  1. Building Bridges: Mentorship in Action.  Carolyn Sutphin (V-TOP)
  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
10:00 am - 11:15 am Roundtable: The Future of Career Services & Recruiting
11:15 am - 12:00 noon Gen Z Panel
12:00 noon - 12:15 pm Closing