Conference Schedule
We have an exciting lineup of speakers, sessions, and networking events planned.
Conference Highlights
Geoffrey Garrett
Dean, USC Marshall School of Business
Geoffrey Garrett holds the Robert R. Dockson Dean’s Chair in Business Administration and is a Professor of Management and Organization. Since arriving at USC Marshall in 2020 after serving as dean of the Wharton School, Dean Garrett has been at the forefront of redefining business education. He has led transformational investments in digital assets, digital competition, and the ethics of technology, and currently serves as the Chair of the President's AI Strategy Committee at USC, guiding the university's comprehensive AI initiatives and future direction.
Under his leadership, USC Marshall has launched interdisciplinary joint undergraduate degrees with other USC schools and heavily expanded its graduate business analytics programs. As higher education continues to evolve, Garrett brings a critical global perspective on how technology, data governance, and analytics are reshaping both academia and the global economy—topics of paramount importance to IT leaders in the liberal arts.
The Presidential Roundtable: Navigating the Consortial Frontier
A Conversation with CMC President Hiram Chodosh, Scripps President Amy Marcus-Newhall
Beyond the technical tracks, the CLAC 2026 conference builds to a moment of high-level strategic alignment. Hosted at the historic Athenaeum, our Presidential Roundtable moves past the "how" of IT to address the "why." This isn't a discussion about tech or tactics; it is a candid conversation between Claremont College presidents regarding the complexities of the consortium model. From the shared vulnerabilities of our security posture to the massive operational shifts required by emerging technologies, this dinner offers a unique window into how our leadership navigates the tension between institutional autonomy and the power of collective scale.
As we stand on the precipice of a fundamental shift in higher education, the roundtable will tackle the two most pressing questions facing our campuses: How do we stabilize and evolve our core institutional systems, and how do we architect a meaningful response to the AI revolution? This session will bridge the gap between technical reality and institutional vision, exploring how a liberal arts framework can thrive in an era of automated workflows and blurred professional boundaries. Space for this engagement is strictly limited to ensure a meaningful dialogue – early confirmation of your attendance is essential as we finalize the evening's logistics.
Featured Events
ComedySportz Improvisational Comedy
Get ready for an evening of fast-paced, interactive entertainment! ComedySportz offers highly customized, improvisational comedy where the audience drives the action. Two teams of professional players will battle it out for your laughs with quick-witted games and scenes built entirely from your suggestions. It's competitive, clean, and guaranteed to be a hilarious highlight of the conference.
Monday, June 8, 2026 - Pre-Conference
| Time | Activity and Notes |
|---|---|
| 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM | Pre-Registration for CLAC CMC RDSC · Agora 105 |
1:30 PM – 5:00 PMRSVP Required! |
AI ScreenShare Pre-Conference CMC · Founders Room |
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 - Day 1
| Time | Activity and Notes |
|---|---|
9:00 AM – 2:00 PMRSVP Required! |
AI ScreenShare Pre-Conference CMC · Founders Room |
| 1:45 PM - 4:00 PM | Registration Open CMC RDSC · Agora 105 |
| 4:00 PM | Welcoming Reception and Happy Hour CMC · Collins Dining Hall Bon Appétit |
5:00 PMRSVP Required! |
ComedySportz Improvisational Comedy CMC · Pickford Auditorium |
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - Day 2
| Time | Activity and Notes |
|---|---|
| 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM | Breakfast CMC · Collins Dining Hall Bon Appétit |
| 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Registration Open CMC RDSC · Agora 105 |
| 9:00 AM | Welcoming and Keynote Address CMC · Pickford Auditorium Geoffrey Garrett, Dean of USC Marshall School of Business |
| 10:00 AM | Keynote Q&A CMC · Pickford Auditorium Geoffrey Garrett, Dean of USC Marshall School of Business |
| 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM | Morning Break |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Concurrent Sessions CMC · RDSC |
| Session 1 |
The Autonomous Shift: Understanding Agentic AI and Safeguarding the Modern Campus Jason Blunk (Earlham), Colleen Tkach, Liam Cornell (Claremont McKenna College) CMC · RDSC 129 |
| Session 2 |
Maintaining Integrity in Testing: How CMC Is Confirming That Testing Isn't Taken Over By AI Michael Malsed (Claremont McKenna College) CMC · RDSC 131 |
| Session 3 |
Building a Staff AI Literacy Certificate Program Don Vosburg (Carleton College) CMC · RDSC 133 |
| Session 4 |
Data Strategy Journey: Storing, Understanding, Unleashing Kelli Van Wasshenova, Ben Tryon, and Zane Buxton (Denison University) CMC · RDSC 134 |
| 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM | Lunch CMC · Collins Dining Hall Bon Appétit |
| 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Concurrent Sessions Pomona · Estella Building |
| Session 5 |
Building a Digital Campus Management Framework from Scratch Wesley Gordon (Trinity University) Pomona · Estella 1021 |
| Session 6 |
The Question That Changed Everything Jeremiah Tylutki (Hamilton College) and Ahmad Khazaee (Colgate University) Pomona · Estella 1051 |
| Session 7 |
CLAC Annual Survey: Trends, Disambiguation, and What's Next Zane W. Buxton (Denison University) Pomona · Estella 1163 |
| Session 8 |
Building AI Literacy at a Small Liberal Arts College Through Staff Communities of Practice Elizabeth Hodas and Yi Luo (Harvey Mudd College) Pomona · Estella 1181 |
| Session 9 |
Brushstrokes of Change: A Collaborative Transition from Sakai to Canvas & In the Messy Middle: A Case Study in LMS Transition Stephanie Friedman (Mt. Holyoke), Benjamin Royas (CMC), Steve Anderson (Pitzer), Christine Gao (Scripps), Nick Weber (Pomona) Pomona · Estella 1249 |
| 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Afternoon Break |
| 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Concurrent Sessions Pomona · Estella Building |
| Session 10 |
Behind the Curtain: The Wicked Truth About Campus AI Collaboration Susan Purrington and Matt Gardzina (Connecticut College) Pomona · Estella 1021 |
| Session 11 |
From vCISO to Institutional CISO: Building a Sustainable Cybersecurity Program Andrew Crawford (Pomona College) and Daniel M. Briley (Aldrich Solutions LLC) Pomona · Estella 1051 |
| Session 12 |
The Power of "Yes": Reframing IT as a Catalyst for Growth Martha Hunyadi, Sarah Blakemore, and Katie Himmelrick (Claremont McKenna College) Pomona · Estella 1163 |
| Session 13 |
Title II Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA): Tackling in Bite-sized Chunks Nathan Stazewski (Pomona College) Pomona · Estella 1181 |
| Session 14 |
CLAC GPT: Governance, People, Trust Barron Koralesky & Tattiya Maruco (Williams), Janet Scannell (Carleton), Liv Gjestvang (Denison), Michael Cato (Bowdoin) Pomona · Estella 1249 |
5:00 PMRSVP Required! |
Reception & The Presidential Roundtable Dinner CMC · Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum Claremont McKenna College |
Thursday, June 11, 2026 - Day 3
| Time | Activity and Notes |
|---|---|
| 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM | Breakfast Hoch-Shanahan Sodexo |
| 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Registration Open CMC RDSC · Agora 105 |
| 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Special Tour and Morning Sessions CMC RDSC, Pomona Estella, HMC Shanahan Claremont Consortium |
| Tour |
Guided Tour: Robert Day Sciences Center Robert Day Sciences Center — Claremont McKenna College |
| Session 15 |
Building Security-Focused Momentum in IT at a Small College Peter Zillmann (Kalamazoo College) and Shane Albright (REN-ISAC) — Harvey Mudd College HMC · Shanahan 3460 |
| Session 16 |
Nobody Told Us This Was Part of the Job: The Most Important Technology in the Room Is You Nick Roberts (Davidson College) and Cory Baden (Rollins College) — Harvey Mudd College HMC · Shanahan 3481 |
| 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM | Morning Break |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Concurrent Sessions HMC · Shanahan Hall |
| Session 17 |
Integrating Research Computing into a Consortium-First IT Model Jeho Park, Bhaven Mistry, and Vanessa Arias Casillas (Claremont McKenna College) HMC · Shanahan 3460 |
| Session 18 |
High-Value Use Cases: Where AI Can Actually Move the Needle Zach Sherwin and Penny Evans-Plants (Berry College) HMC · Shanahan 3481 |
| Session 19 |
After April 24th: How Are CLAC Institutions Navigating ADA Digital Accessibility Don Vosburg (Carleton College) HMC · Shanahan 3285 |
| Session 20 |
A 10-Year Reflection of Moving Degrees Online and Unexpected Benefits Claremont-wide Michael Thomas (Claremont Graduate University) HMC · Shanahan B480 |
| 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM | Lunch Hoch-Shanahan Sodexo |
| 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Concurrent Sessions Pitzer · Bernard & Fletcher Halls |
| Session 21 |
Filling Chairs, Choosing Songs: Navigating Leadership Turnover in ERP Implementations Melissa Cresswell (Bryn Mawr College) and Eric Hoffman (Moran Technology Consulting) Pitzer · Bernard 105 |
| Session 22 |
Putting the Fun in Cybersecurity: Designing Awareness Programs People Actually Remember Jessica Carter (Pitzer College) and Daniel M. Briley (Aldrich Solutions LLC) Pitzer · Bernard 111 |
| Session 23 |
Twin Ambitions: Scaling Our Leadership Through Custom GPTs Michael Cato (Bowdoin College) and Barron Koralesky (Williams College) Pitzer · Fletcher 104 |
| Session 24 |
Insights and Lessons from a Year of Penetration Testing Kyle Enlow (REN-ISAC, Indiana University) Pitzer · Fletcher 110 |
| Session 25 |
Peer Coaching for Real Challenges: Human-Centered Problem Solving Liv Gjestvang (Denison University) Pitzer · Fletcher 112 |
| 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Concurrent Sessions Pitzer · Bernard & Fletcher Halls |
| Session 26 |
AI for All: Fostering AI Literacy Among Faculty, Staff, and Students David O'Steen (Wellesley College) Pitzer · Bernard 105 |
| Session 27 |
Practical AI for IT Operations and Project Management Joanie Bauman (Denison University) Pitzer · Bernard 111 |
| Session 28 |
From Pilot to Practice: Agentic AI in Liberal Arts IT Nick Roberts (Davidson College) and Bill Thompson (Lafayette College) Pitzer · Fletcher 104 |
| 4:00 PM | Closing Happy Hour CMC · Collins Dining Hall Bon Appétit · Appetizers, Drinks & Raffle |