The Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management, Ed.D. program is holding its annual conference recognizing catalytic leaders in higher education while diving into the field’s most vexing contemporary challenges.
The conference features talks by national and international leaders, master class opportunities with faculty, networking opportunities with peers in the field, and the presentations of the Robert Zemsky Medal for Innovation in Higher Education and the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Program alumni are invited to attend the full conference. Higher education leaders outside the program are welcome to join us for the Awards Gala held at the National Constitution Center.
Conference Agenda
Day 1 | Awards Gala
Date: Thursday, January 15
Location: National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 19106
6:00 PM — Arrival and Reception
6:50 PM — Seating for Dinner
7:05 PM — Welcome and Introductions, with Alumni Advisory Board Chair Courtney Chandler, GRD'22, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff for the Administration Division, University of California, Berkeley, and Laurie Hall, GRD'24, Vice Dean of Executive Programs, Penn GSE
7:30 PM — 2026 Zemsky Award Winner Keynote from Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, followed by discussion with Katharine Strunk, Dean and George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education, Penn GSE
Register for the Awards Gala only.
**Chatham House Rule applies Friday and Saturday.**
Day 2 | Leadership Panels, Master Classes, and Alumni Reception
Date: Friday, January 16
Morning Session
Location: Penn GSE, 3700 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
7:30 AM — Registration
8:00 AM — Breakfast and Networking with Current Students
9:00 AM — Welcome and Connections with GSE Vision for Transformational Impact
9:15–10:30 AM — Presidents Panel: Addressing Today’s Challenges in Higher Education
• Glenn Cummings, GRD’10, President & CEO, Albert B. Glickman & Judy Glickman Lauder Family Office & Foundations, 13th President of the University of Southern Maine, Former Maine State Legislator, Obama Administration Official
• Randi Reich Cosentino, GRD’11, President, US Naval Community College, Quantico, VAShape
• John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., Executive Director, McGraw Center for Educational Leadership, 11th President of Morehouse College, Senior Fellow at Penn GSE
10:30 AM — Break
10:45 AM — Faculty Master Class: To Serve a Larger Purpose, with Matt Hartley, Professor and Board of Advisors Chair of Education, Penn GSE
Afternoon Session
Location: Hall of Flags, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104 (7 minute campus walk from Penn GSE at 3700 Walnut Street.)
12:00 PM — Lunch
1:00–2:15 PM — Plenary: Expanding Opportunity through Higher Education, in conversation with
• Kedra Ishop, Senior Vice President, Higher Education, Membership, and Access & Secretary of the Corporation, The College Board, a mission-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting students with college and career success.
• Ruth Watkins, President, Postsecondary Education, Strada Education Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping clear the path between education and work, especially for those with the most standing in their way.
2:15–3:30 PM — Operational Response: Ideals to Implementation
• Courtney Chandler, GRD'22, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff for the Administration Division, University of California, Berkeley
• Larry Schall, GRD'03, President, New England Commission for Higher Education
• Vana M. Zervanos, GRD'19, Associate Dean Graduate Programs for the Haub School of Business, Assistant Professor of Practice, Management, St. Joseph's University
3:30–3:45 PM — Break
3:45–5:00 PM — Faculty Master Class: What These Challenges Mean for Institutional Leadership, with Peter Eckel, Senior Fellow and Director of Leadership Programs, Penn AHEAD, Penn GSE
5:00 PM — Summation and Program Updates, with Eric Hartman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management, Penn GSE
5:30 PM — Distinguished Alumni Award Reception
• Honoring 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner, Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Schall, GRD'03, President of the New England Commission of Higher Education, introduced by John LaBrie, GRD'04, Dean of the School of Professional Studies and Associate Provost of Professional Education, Clark University
6:30 PM — Dinner on Your Own with Cohorts
Day 3 | Skill Building & Vision Forward
Date: Saturday, January 17
Location: Penn GSE, 3700 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
8:00 AM — Breakfast and Networking with Current Students
9:00 AM — Your Athletic Department Is Now a Business (and Nobody Asked Permission) with Karen Weaver, GRD'09, Faculty Member and a nationally recognized authority on the intersection of college athletics, higher education leadership, and public policy, Penn GSE
10:00 AM — Alumni Advisory Board Updates, Recognition, and Photos, co-led by Courtney Chandler and Rob Farrell, GRD'19, General Counsel and University Secretary, University of Scranton
10:30 AM — Break
10:45 AM — Concurrent Skill-building Sessions
• Communication Mastery: Your Superpower as an Academic Leader, with JD Schramm, GRD'12, Keynote Speaker, Communications Consultant and Trainer
• Working with Search Firms, with Julie Filizetti, GRD'03, Vice President and Director, Isaacson, Miller, Margaret Plympton, GRD'11, Principal, AGB Search, and Melissa Trotta, GRD'13, Associate Managing Principal and Senior Vice President, AGB Search
• Writing & Publishing for Broader Publics, with Gretchen Dobson, GRD'13, Associate Director, Scholarships, Tetra Tech, and Karen Weaver, GRD'09, Penn GSE
• Serving on—and with—Boards, with Wallace "Wally" Boston, GRD'10, President Emeritus at American Public University System
12:00 PM — Conference Closes