About the convening
Our annual partner convening is a space to share strategies and tactics to improve male enrollment and retention in higher education. See our 2026 agenda below.
Day 1 – January 29, 2026
8:00-8:45 a.m.
REGISTRATION
Registration and breakfast
AIBM team
8:45-9:05 a.m.
OPENING SESSION
Welcome
Richard V. Reeves
AIBM President
9:05-9:50 a.m.
KEYNOTE
Belonging by design: Cultivating spaces where men grow and lead
Creating belonging spaces for men
Terrell Strayhorn
Virginia Union University
Professor of Education and Psychology
9:50-10:40 a.m.
PRESENTATION
What are we learning from young men?
Findings from recent survey- focus on belonging and career ambitions
Rebecca Silliman
Public Agenda Director
Andrew J. Seligsohn
Public Agenda President
10:40-10:50 a.m.
Break
10:50-11:25 a.m.
PRESENTATION
Reconnecting futures: Reengaging men in the journey to degree completion
Reconnecting with male students
Isaac Bledsoe
AIBM Senior Research Assistant
Michelle Cyrus
Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential Success Strategy Manager
Beverly Walker-Griffea
MiLEAP Director
Jason Wilson
MiLEAP Deputy Director of Strategic Talent Preparation
11:25-12:15 p.m.
PANEL
Vision forward: Empowering men to design their future selves
Defining pathways for the future self; includes Q&A
Daniel Jean
Montclair State University Associate Provost for Educational Opportunity and Success Programs
Matt Lopez
ASU Deputy Vice President
Jason Wilson
MiLEAP Deputy Director of Strategic Talent Preparation
Whitney Marsh
ASU Associate Vice President of Education Outreach and Student Services and Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence Executive Director
12:15-1:15 p.m.
LUNCH
Lunch and Treks for Vets invite
Video screening and invitation
Shawn Banzhaf
ASU Executive Director
1:15-2:00 p.m.
PRESENTATIONS
Research spotlight: Institutional onramps and off-ramps shaping Latino male student access
Marisol Cuellar Mejia
Public Policy Institute of California Senior Fellow
Andres Villatoro
AIBM Student Fellow
2:00-2:45 p.m.
PANEL
Engaging potential: Strategies to enroll
Paul J. Luna
Helios Education Foundation President and CEO
Terrell Strayhorn
Virginia Union University Professor of Education and Psychology
Nancy Gonzales
ASU Executive Vice President and University Provost
Marisol Cuellar Mejia
Public Policy Institute of California Senior Fellow
2:45-3:00 p.m.
Break
3:00-3:45 p.m.
PRESENTATION
Measuring what matters: Assessing the effectiveness of male-focused programs
Workshop on evaluating male student services programs
Sparkle Springfield
Loyola University Chicago Assistant Professor of Public Health Services
3:45-4:30 p.m.
PANEL
Decisions that shape futures: Lessons from The Class
Raman Preet Kaur
AIBM Communications Director
Adam and Jaye Fenderson
The Class Producers
Javonte Sellers
The Class, Hechinger Report Contributor
Cameron Schmidt-Temple
The Class, UC Berkeley Center for Educational Partnerships Project Policy Analyst
4:30-5:00 p.m.
FIRESIDE CHAT
Charting our course: Designing the future of HEMAC
Vision-setting conversation
Richard V. Reeves
AIBM President
Saúl Valdez
HEMAC Director
5:00-5:05 p.m.
Closing remarks and group picture
AIBM team
5:00-6:30 p.m.
NETWORKING
Social Hour
Optional networking at University Club
Day 2 – January 30, 2026
6:15-7:30 a.m.
NETWORKING
Optional Treks for Vets hike of A-Mountain
All trekkers to meet Lobby of Westin Tempe – Group to leave lobby at 6:00am. All trekkers will return to the hotel by 7:30am.
Shawn Banzhaf
ASU Executive Director
8:15-9:00 a.m.
Registration and breakfast
9:00-9:05 a.m.
WELCOME
Day 1 recap
Saúl Valdez
HEMAC Director
9:05-9:30 a.m.
PRESENTATION
Exploring the high school-to-postsecondary pipeline by gender
Mike Hurwitz
The College Board Executive Director of Policy and Research
9:30-10:30 a.m.
PANEL
Serving together: Engaging veterans to strengthen campus communities
Engaging and supporting male veteran students
Karin Fischer
The Chronicle of Higher Education Senior Writer
Tracy Mitchell
University of Montana Assistant Director of Military and Veteran Services
Mike Krause
John M. Belk Endowment Managing Director
Shawn Banzhaf
ASU Executive Director
10:30-11:30 a.m.
PANEL
Civic sparks: Igniting dialogue
Fostering meaningful civic engagement on college campuses
Rachel Pokrandt
Umpqua Community College President and CEO
Andrew J. Seligsohn
Public Agenda President
Josh Dunn
UTK Institute of American Civics at the Howard H. Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs Executive Director
Richard Avramenko
ASU Civics School Director and the Political Science Reviewer Editor-in-Chief
11:30-11:45 a.m.
Break
11:45-12:15 pm
FIRESIDE CHAT
Civic engagement and higher education
Understanding the shifting landscape for boys and men
Doug Ducey
23rd Governor of Arizona
Richard V. Reeves
AIBM President
12:15-1:00 p.m.
LUNCH
Networking