Event Schedule & Descriptions

2025 PROGRAM

36th Annual AzAIR Conference

June 25th and 26th 2025

Helios Education Campus

Phoenix, Arizona 85018

Explore the full agenda below for session details and presenter information.

Just need a quick summary? Visit the Schedule at a Glance.

DAY 1 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2025

Wednesday: Best Dressed in College Spirit Competition - Show off your style, creativity, and confidence for a chance to win an exciting prize. Don’t forget to bring some swag from your school to share with the group!

8:30 am – 9:30 am

Networking & Nibbles: Morning Registration

Best Dressed in College Spirit
Sticky Wall, Sticky Situations: The (unfiltered) side of institutional research.

Kick off the conference with light morning refreshments during check-in. Enjoy a selection of bagels, pastries, and fresh fruit—perfect for a quick bite before the sessions begin. It’s a casual start to the day and a chance to say hello to fellow attendees.

Best Dressed in College Spirit

Show off your school pride with style and creativity for a chance to win a prize! Bring extra swag to share the spirit with others!

Sticky Wall, Sticky Situations: The (unfiltered) side of institutional research.

Day 1: “When Things Got Sticky…”

Share a brief, anonymous story about a real challenge or complication you've faced in your institutional research work… something that got unexpectedly sticky.

9:30 am - 9:40 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Teresa Bailey, President AZAIR

Associate Director of Institutional Research, Eastern Arizona College

9:40 am - 10:40 am

Opening Keynote

Andrew Morse, Ph.D.

Vice President for Development and Strategic Partnerships

Complete College America

What’s next? Expanding our neighborhood for learner success.

The summary is: In a Survival Guide for Leaders, Heifetz and Linsky note that when we undertake complex challenges with no evident technical solution, we should never, ever, ever…ever go alone. While we have created strong communities committed to learner access and success, we continue to navigate barriers due to the enduring scourge of poverty and other challenges to further enhance access and completion. So who else do we invite to confront these challenges? What future roles must data, technology, policy, and systems change play in confronting the lingering complex challenges in front of us? And how might we work differently than we ever have before in living our commitment to the access and success of all learners? This talk will offer perspectives and national high impact practices as we approach these questions.

Andrew Quentin Morse, Ph.D., joined Complete College America in April 2025 as Vice President for Development and Strategic Partnerships. In his role, Morse leads CCA’s fundraising initiatives to further enhance CCA’s national impact on policy and practice on postsecondary access and completion. With a career that has spanned five states and Washington, DC, Morse came to CCA ready to advance state and federal-level initiatives through his role.

Prior to CCA, Dr. Morse served as the Vice President for University Relations at Central Washington University. There, he led a comprehensive reorganization of the university’s marketing, branding, and strategic communications functions, leading initiatives that produced year-over-year increases in post-pandemic first-year enrollment. Recognizing that public universities serve as stewards of place, Morse launched an economic development enterprise at CWU, Business and Community Services, responsible for partnering with communities to support a thriving economy and workforce throughout the central Washington region and beyond. Further, Morse partnered with state agencies, school districts, nonprofits, and other key stakeholders to create and implement guaranteed and automated financial aid and admissions processes that greatly reduce the burden that many first-generation and poverty-impacted students face in navigating the

Before CWU, Morse was chief of staff and senior adviser to the president at the University of Northern Iowa. There, Morse led a nationwide initiative to reimagine the federal role in educator preparation, culminating in bicameral legislation known as the EDUCATORS for America Act that boasted more than 40 cosponsors in the previous Congress. Morse also successfully lobbied for $26.5 million in federal appropriations for economic and workforce development projects related to the adoption of robotic and automation technologies across the American manufacturing supply chain. And with state, federal, and philanthropic funding, Dr. Morse successfully launched UNI@Iowa Community Colleges, effectively eliminating education deserts in the State of Iowa through a seamless pathway for place-bound learners to pursue a bachelor’s degree from UNI through their home community college.

Morse has authored policy briefs, book chapters, and journal articles on a variety of higher education policy themes, including state-level accountability policy, human and civil rights issues, and military-connected student access and success, among others.

He holds a Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Higher Education Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a concentration in Higher Education Policy. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa, where he was part of the University Honors Program.

10:40 am - 11:40 am

Regulatory Reporting

Presenters

Meredith Abrams

Director of Institutional Effectiveness

Maricopa County Community College District

Stephnie Hopple

District Director

Maricopa County Community College District

Adam Lee

Planning Research Analyst, Sr.

Maricopa County Community College District

11:45 am – 1:15 pm

Opening Luncheon & Networking

A great chance to meet fellow attendees and start making connections in a relaxed setting. By moving our main group meal to lunch, your evening is open for dinner on your own or for continuing conversations with others.

01:15 pm – 02:15 pm Concurrent Sessions

1) Immersive Helios Drum Experience

2) AI in Institutional Research and Reporting: Fantasy vs Reality

3) ASSIST Steering Committee (Closed Meeting)

Choose From:

1) Immersive Helios Drum Experience

The session will provide an Introduction and Overview of the Tools, Resources and Projects connected to the Decision Theater.

Presenter

ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence

2) AI in Institutional Research and Reporting: Fantasy vs Reality

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere in the news and making an impact on nearly every industry. Higher Education is no exception and is experiencing rapid change due to AI both inside the classroom and within administration of the school. Schools are crafting policy, framework, governance, adoption, training and monitoring plans. But how is AI impacting institutional research and reporting? This presentation will look at the promise and the reality of AI to IR and reporting for institutions. Fundamentally, we’ll explore and discuss the question “What should I consider when considering AI in reporting?”

Presenter

Rebecca Whitehead, Senior Director, Product Management at Anthology

3) ASSIST Steering Committee (Closed Meeting)

02:15 pm – 03:15 pm Concurrent Sessions

1) Community College Session

2) Tri-U University Discussion

Choose From:

Community College Session:

2025 Strategic Vision Report

David Borofsky

Executive Director

Arizona Community College Coordinating Council

Dr. Carrie Kisker

Kisker Education Consulting

Tri-U University Discussion

Facilitated by

Alecia Radatz,

Senior Director, Institutional Analysis

Arizona State University

Scott Brenden,

Assistant Director, UOIA Institutional Quality

Arizona State University

03:15 pm – 03:30 pm Break

03:30 pm – 04:30 pm

Aligning Data Governance and Privacy:

Building Sustainable, Cross-Campus Framework

Aligning Data Governance and Privacy: Building Sustainable, Cross-Campus Framework

As colleges and universities increasingly use data to inform decisions and improve outcomes, and as the volume and complexity of that data continue to grow, aligning governance and privacy efforts is essential to ensuring ethical, effective, and compliant practices. This session will explore strategies for building cross-functional frameworks that reflect institutional values while navigating real-world complexity. Using Arizona State University’s model as one example, presenters will share practical approaches to structuring advisory groups, engaging stakeholders, aligning roles, and connecting policy with practice. Participants will reflect on their own institutional contexts and challenges and will take part in a hands-on stakeholder mapping activity to visualize their current data governance and privacy landscape. This exercise will support group discussion and idea exchange, helping participants identify opportunities to strengthen data stewardship on their campuses.

Presenters

Olli Honkkila

Data Governance and Administration Manager

Arizona State University

Ben Archer

Privacy Manager

Arizona State University

04:30 pm - 05:30 pm

Hotel guests check in to Sonesta Select Phoenix Camelback

5:30 pm - 7:30pm

Optional Evening Meet-Up

An informal gathering after the Day 1 sessions for those who want to connect further. This is not included in the conference registration and will be pay-your-own-way.

DAY 2 THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2025

8:00 am – 8:50 am

Registration with Breakfast

Sticky Wall, Sticky Situations: The (unfiltered) side of institutional research.

Start your day with a warm breakfast and great company! As you check in for Day 2, enjoy another chance to connect with fellow attendees over coffee and a delicious morning spread. It’s the perfect way to ease into the day’s sessions while continuing to build your network.

Sticky Wall, Sticky Situations: The (unfiltered) side of institutional research.

Day 2: “How did you unstick yourself?”

Reflect on how you navigated your sticky situation: what you did, what you learned, or what you changed to move forward and grow from it.

8:50 am – 9:00 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Teresa Bailey, President AZAIR

9:00 am – 9:50 am

Keynote Speaker

Phillip Wallace

Director of Development Analytics

Georgia Tech

Phillip Wallace joins us virtually to present his standout session, Beyond Waffle House.

Phillip Wallace is a data and analytics leader who thrives at turning numbers into insights that drive strategic action, bridge gaps, and illuminate blind spots. As Director of Development Analytics at Georgia Tech, he enhances the pool of potential donors for Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech, while providing critical insights on progress and performance.

Phillip previously served as director of Knowledge Management at UNCF's Institute for Capacity Building, where he partnered with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to shape data strategy, cultivate communities of data fluency, and strengthen analytics capabilities to support student outcomes and organizational excellence. He has 18 years of experience in higher education data roles across advancement, strategic planning, institutional research, and human resources which enables him to be a strategic partner, aligning data initiatives with organizational priorities and navigating solutions for key challenges and goals."

https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-wallace-3360427

9:50 am – 10:00 am Break

10:00 am – 11:00 am Concurrent Sessions

1) Copilot: The AI Sidekick You Didn’t Know You Had

2) Immersive Helios Drum Experience

Choose From:

Copilot: The AI Sidekick You Didn’t Know You Had

Explore the fundamentals of using Copilot as your own AI assistant. Discover how Copilot helps increase your productivity and reduces manual, repetitive tasks so you have more time for higher-value work. Find out how to summarize and draft emails, create compelling PowerPoint presentations, jump-start your creativity in Word, and make more-informed decisions through transformed data analysis in Excel.

Presenter

Trevor Hart

Institutional Research Analyst

Eastern Arizona College

Immersive Helios Drum Experience

The session will focus on an overview of our tools and highlight what is new and Upcoming from the Decision Center.

Presenter

ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

The AIA Data Collaborative:

A Model for Cross-Institutional Partnership

The AIA Data Collaborative:

A Model for Cross-Institutional Partnership

This session will highlight insights from the AIA Data Collaborative’s Lateral Transfers project, a multi-university research initiative focused on understanding student transfer pathways and outcomes through shared data and coordinated analysis. Presenters will share the practical frameworks and strategies that have enabled sustained collaboration across institutions, including aligning methodologies, navigating institutional differences, and maintaining momentum. Attendees will gain actionable guidance on launching cross-campus research projects, managing complexity across diverse data systems and governance structures, and fostering trust and efficiency in multi-institutional partnerships. The session will also include interactive time for participants to exchange ideas and spark new opportunities for cross-institutional collaboration.

Presenters

Carmin Chan

Vice Provost

NAU Online

Austin Stumpf

Associate Director, Enrollment Analysis

Arizona State University

Michael Wilson

Senior Planning Analyst

Arizona State University

12:00 pm – 1:15 pm

AZAIR Business Meeting with Lunch

Join us for the AzAIR Business Lunch—a dedicated time for organizational updates, annual elections, and meaningful conversation with fellow attendees. This lunch offers more than just a meal; it's a chance to engage with the AzAIR community, contribute to the future of the organization, and continue building connections. A full lunch will be provided.

01:15 pm – 02:15 pm

Speed Data-ing: Dashboards, Reports, and Ideas Worth Swiping Right On

Get inspired in this fast-paced showcase featuring AzAIR institutions each sharing a data tool they’re proud of. From dashboards to decision-support reports, you’ll hear what it is, who it’s for, and one key insight or lesson learned. As you listen, jot down the ideas you’d “swipe right” on, including tools, techniques, or takeaways you’d like to bring back to your own campus. You’ll leave with a personalized list of peer-tested ideas ready to explore.

Presenters

AzAIR Community

2:15 pm – 3:00 pm Data-Driven Dollars: Analytics for Budget and Operational Action

Data-Driven Dollars: Analytics for Budget and Operational Action

In this session, attendees will explore how operational data and business intelligence can transform budget planning and resource allocation in higher education. Drawing on experience managing both Institutional Research and the Budget Office, this presentation will share real-world applications of data—such as recalculating general supply budgets using historical spend patterns, building data tools for budget progress monitoring, and leveraging IPEDS for peer comparisons. The session will also address a critical shift in data strategy: how the infrastructure, tools, and mindset must evolve when moving beyond compliance reporting to support real-time decision-making and planning. The conceptual model known as the “Golden Thread” will be introduced, illustrating how data can link an institution’s mission, strategic plan, annual goals, and budgeting processes to ensure cohesive, purposeful investment. Attendees will leave with actionable examples and a strategic lens for elevating the role of data in driving decision making in administrative and operational functions of our colleges.

Presenter

Lori Lindenberg

AVP of Institutional Research and Planning

Scottsdale Community College

3:00 pm - 3:15 pm

Snack & Pack

Take a break, grab a snack, and pack your own treat bag! Choose your favorite goodies to enjoy now and on the ride home.

3:15 pm – 4:15 pm

Future-Proofing Your IR Team: A Strategic Foresight Workshop

Future-Proofing Your IR Team:

A Strategic Foresight Workshop

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore early signals of change in higher education and use strategic foresight tools to anticipate future scenarios. You’ll leave with a simple future-preparedness plan for your IR team and practical ideas for building curiosity, flexibility, and long-term thinking into your daily work.

Presenter

Alecia Radatz

Senior Director, Institutional Analysis

Arizona State University

4:15 pm – 4:30 pm

Installation of 2025-2027 AzAIR President

Closing Remarks and Adjournment

Subject to Change

anthology.com

Anthology is the Edtech innovation leader. We offer the only complete solution ecosystem specifically designed to lead learners and institutions through today’s rapid and unprecedented change.

With product development driven by collaboration with customers, industry-leading AI capabilities, unmatched speed of innovation to market, deep commitment to data privacy and security, and complete global services from implementation through growth, we are uniquely positioned to help you deliver any type of program and empower everyone across your institution to thrive.

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