The American Association of Community Colleges Advocates in Action is a 2-day program designed for community college leaders who want an insiders view on how Washington formulates higher education policy and who want to become more involved in the federal legislative process. Interactive sessions with key executive branch officials and senior Congressional staff will provide valuable insights about the current dynamics and issues surrounding key funding and other pending legislation. Time is reserved for attendees to meet with their federal legislators to advocate for community college priorities.

Community college presidents, trustees, government relations directors, and other campus administrators are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to network, discuss key policy issues, and advocate for critical federal programs.

ATE PIs, project evaluators, and staff will explore best practices for managing data throughout the lifecycle of an ATE project. Participants will discuss strategies for organizing, analyzing, and sharing project data, as well as tools and systems that can help streamline the process.

The National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC) is an Affiliated Council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) catalyzing a network of higher education and industry-led Strategic Partner resources that advocates, advises, and promotes the use of advanced technology applications to enhance economic and workforce development programs and services.

With over 160 members from community and technical colleges, universities, CTE high schools, adult education organizations and the corporate community, NCATC provides great networking opportunities at both their Summer Workshop and Fall Conference every year.

This workshop empowers university, community college, and high school faculty, staff, counselors, and academic advisors with the knowledge and tools to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices and curriculum development. Participants will explore practical applications of AI, including lesson planning, designing engaging and interactive content, creating dynamic assessments, and customizing individualized student learning experiences. Additionally, the workshop will highlight how to enable students to use AI in ethical and productive ways across various disciplines.

Through hands-on activities, collaborative projects, and real-world examples, faculty will gain a deeper understanding of AI’s transformative role in education. They will also explore new forms of student engagement, ensuring responsible AI use in both teaching and learning environments. This workshop prepares educators to harness AI to enhance classroom instruction, streamline administrative tasks, and equip students with the skills needed to navigate an AI-driven future.

AWS Academy is providing faculty and students from its member institutions with a free subscription to AWS Skill Builder, empowering them to learn foundational and specialized AI content. AWS Skill Builder offers hundreds of free digital courses tailored to roles across the technology spectrum, including immersive experiences such as AWS Cloud Quest and AWS SimuLearn, as well as test prep and vouchers for AWS Certifications like AWS AI Practitioner.

This info session, led by AWS Academy, will provide community colleges with an overview of Skill Builder and how to leverage the free 1-year subscription. Participants will receive a step-by-step guide on how to provide access to their students to over 600 digital courses, exam prep resources, and certification vouchers. The session will end with a Q&A.

Education, Certifications, and Experience: How Does the Modern Workforce Survive 

This presentation explores the zero-sum dynamic between formal education, industry certifications, and real-world experience. The presentation highlights how competing demands create falsified talent shortages and misaligned hiring practices while proposing a balanced approach to harmonize these pillars. Attendees will gain insights into the challenges of this conflict and learn strategies to foster collaboration and standardization, addressing the need for a more effective and inclusive approach to hiring.

Presenter

Paul Ruffalo is a dedicated son, uncle, husband, father, and community advocate whose professional journey reflects the same commitment he brings to his personal life. With over 25 years of experience spanning technology, cybersecurity, compliance, and auditing, Paul currently serves as the Head of Internal Audit at Collins Community Credit Union and teaches Cybersecurity and Compliance at Kirkwood Community College. His diverse background includes vCISO advisory work, podcasting, nonprofit leadership, and recognition as an award-winning Agentic AI designer.

Please register to attend.

Bring your family, friends, troop, and group to learn more about STEM and aviation careers, including pilots, mechanics, and more. Pilots, aircraft, local companies, aviation schools, and many professionals will be on hand to discuss careers in aviation and STEM to help inspire future generations to follow their own dreams into a future in aviation. Representatives from commercial aviation, the US Military, corporate/business aviation, general aviation, Collegiate, UAV, and MORE will attend this event to meet with you.

Hands-on educational activities will be demonstrated in The Discovery Hangar to help attendees learn about the principles of aviation and STEM.