Meet the Speakers Transforming Higher Ed at InsightsEDU 2026
Higher ed doesn’t need just another conference. It needs transformation.
Legacy strategies are cracking under demographic pressure. AI is rewriting how students search and the Modern Learner is calling the shots. Institutions that cling to “what’s always worked” are watching the ground shift under their feet.
InsightsEDU 2026 is built for leaders who are done settling. Presidents, marketers and enrollment teams who know reputation and revenue can’t live in separate silos anymore—and who are ready to align both around the needs of today’s learners.
From February 17–19, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, you’ll hear from university leaders, higher ed innovators and Modern Learner experts who are actively rebuilding how institutions compete, communicate and grow. More than 40 sessions will dig into real playbooks, not theory—unifying brand and enrollment, elevating student experience and turning AI disruption into advantage.
Here’s a preview of a few of the voices taking the stage and how they’re already reshaping what’s possible.
The Leaders Rewriting Higher Ed’s Playbook
Gregory Clayton
President of Enrollment Management Services, EducationDynamics
Higher ed leaders face a hard truth: incremental fixes won’t secure the future. Greg Clayton knows why—and what to do about it. As President of Enrollment Management Services at EducationDynamics, Greg has spent decades connecting the dots between value, enrollment, and reputation. At InsightsEDU, he opens the conference with a bold framework built for the Modern Learner era—where reputation and revenue move together, and institutions either evolve or fall behind. You’ll leave with a clear roadmap that aligns the three C’s of value—cost, career, and convenience—with a unified enrollment strategy and disciplined approach to growth. The result: a shift from reactive survival to intentional reinvention.
Opening Session: From Framework to Action
Amanda Serafin
Associate Vice President of Enrollment, Indiana Wesleyan University
Most institutions assume their nurturing strategies are working. Amanda Serafin wanted proof. As Associate Vice President of Enrollment at Indiana Wesleyan University, she didn’t just rely on internal data; she looked outward. At InsightsEDU, Amanda reveals the results of three years of her competitive research expertise. She will pull back the curtain on the actual gaps in the market—showing you exactly where competition schools are dropping the ball and how IWU leveraged those insights to capture more market share.
Session: Mystery Shopping 2.0
Alex Minot
Client Partner Lead, Snapchat
Gen Z isn’t waiting for your message—they’re writing their own. Alex knows how to earn a place in that story. As Client Partner Lead at Snapchat, he’s helped higher ed institutions and nonprofits move beyond outdated tactics to full-funnel strategies built for the next generation of learners. At InsightsEDU, Alex teams up with EducationDynamics’ Director of Awareness Marketing, Lora Polich, to reveal why traditional enrollment marketing fails—and how to design a content ecosystem that creates belonging, builds confidence, and inspires advocacy from first touch to final decision.
Session: From Awareness to Advocacy: Designing a Full-Funnel Strategy for Gen Z Engagement
Chris Marpo
Head of Education Partnerships, Reddit
The way students discover and choose schools has changed, and Reddit is where many of those journeys now start. As Head of Education Partnerships, Chris helps institutions turn passive browsing into active conversations that shape enrollment decisions. At InsightsEDU, he’ll reveal how Reddit’s communities and behaviors are redefining influence in higher ed. With experience scaling ad businesses at LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Quora, Chris brings a sharp perspective on what it takes to capture mindshare in an era where AI and authenticity collide.
Session: From Keywords to Conversations: Winning Student Mindshare in the Age of AI Search
Kevin Halle
VP of Enrollment, Wayne State College
Silos don’t just slow growth—they cost students. As Vice President of Enrollment at Wayne State College, Kevin has built strategies that unify undergraduate, graduate, and adult learner pipelines into one cohesive approach. At InsightsEDU, Kevin will show you what it takes to dismantle fragmented models and design enrollment strategies that serve every learner—and future-proof your institution in the process.
Session: Unifying Your Enrollment: Building a Cohesive Strategy for the Modern Learner
Katie Tomlinson
Senior Director of Analytics and Business Intelligence, EducationDynamics
Every growth strategy starts with insight. Katie Tomlinson turns that insight into a competitive edge. At EducationDynamics, she leads the research that tracks how the Modern Learner is evolving and what that means for institutional sustainability and growth. At InsightsEDU, Katie will share an exclusive first look at the data shaping student decision-making heading into 2026. You’ll leave with a clear view of the forces driving choice and the data-driven levers you can pull to turn uncertainty into opportunity.
Opening Session: From Framework to Action
Matt Loonam
Lead Enterprise Account Executive, Education at LinkedIn
If you’re waiting for students to find you, you’ve already lost. Matt will show you how to meet them where decisions happen. As Lead Enterprise Account Executive for Education at LinkedIn, he’s spent years showing colleges how to turn audience intelligence into enrollment advantage. At InsightsEDU, he will share how LinkedIn’s rich audience signals can help institutions reach career-focused prospects who are closer to a decision, while building the kind of trust that moves students to choose their school.The decision window is shrinking
Session: How to Win High Intent Students on LinkedIn
Leila Ertel
Vice President of Marketing, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
Your website isn’t just a digital brochure. It’s one of the most powerful levers you have for enrollment growth, and Leila knows how to put it to work. As Vice President of Marketing at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, she brings a bold, data-informed approach that turns overlooked assets into engines of student engagement. Attend her InsightsEDU session to see how your institution’s website can move from overlooked asset to true engine of enrollment growth.
Session: The Evolution of Website Marketing
Sydney Parker
Strategic Account Manager, Meta
Sydney Parker helps colleges show up where Gen Z actually lives. As a Strategic Account Manager at Meta with 3 years focused on education, she builds data-driven, creative equity-minded campaigns that drive real enrollment impact. At InsightsEDU, Sydney will share how to use Reels and social platforms to connect authentically with Gen Z, build trust fast and keep your brand in their consideration set
Session: Meeting Prospective Students Where They Are: Gen Z, Reels, and the Power of Social Presence
Jamie Ceman
Senior Executive Vice President, Brand and Marketing Strategy, RW Jones Agency
Jamie Ceman knows how to turn reputation into a growth strategy. As head of brand and marketing at RW Jones and a former AMA Higher Education Marketer of the Year, she has led brand evolutions that lifted national stature, enrollment and fundraising. At InsightsEDU, Jamie will share a practical roadmap for aligning brand, communications, and enrollment so your institution shows up with clarity, credibility and impact in an AI-driven landscape.
Session: Reputation Is Revenue: The Roadmap to Relevance
Andrew Fleischer
Head of Industry, Education at Google
Google sits at the center of how students judge your institution. As Head of Industry for Education & Careers at Google, Andrew partners with leading institutions and EdTech brands to turn shifting search behavior into strategic advantage. At InsightsEDU, he’ll break down how AI search, zero-click results and shifting intent are rewriting brand strategy, and how bold institutions can stop letting the algorithm define them and start using it to win.
Session: Brand Strategy for Higher Ed
The voices shaping InsightsEDU continue to grow. Check out the full speaker lineup and new additions on our speakers page.
Be In the Room Where Higher Ed Resets
InsightsEDU is where presidents, marketers and enrollment leaders pressure test old assumptions and build new playbooks around the Modern Learner. Over three days you’ll connect with peers who are aligning brand and enrollment, experimenting with AI and digital and proving that you don’t have to choose between revenue and reputation to achieve institutional success.
Don’t watch the next era of higher education happen from the sidelines. Get a front-row seat. Register for InsightsEDU 2026 today.