Preconference Workshop
CHRO Summit (Preconference Workshop)
Sunday, October 4 | 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
$295 for CUPA-HR Members | $310 for Nonmembers
Please Note: Full conference registration is required to attend this preconference workshop.
Registration for this workshop is limited to the institution’s chief HR officer.
The CHRO Summit, which takes place before the conference, offers higher ed chief HR officers the opportunity to focus on their own leadership development while engaging with higher ed thought leaders and one another. Over the course of the event, attendees will explore the many opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for our institutions and higher ed HR.
How to Register
The CHRO Summit has limited seating and sells out every year. When you register for the conference, you will have the opportunity to add the CHRO Summit to your registration. If you have already registered for the conference and want to add the CHRO Summit, contact [email protected].
Program Details
Current and Future Priorities
The Summit will open with a discussion on chief HR officers’ goals and priorities for now and into the future. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from and share with other CHROs about the work being done to meet today’s needs and to prepare for what’s to come.
Facilitator: Josh Mackey, CUPA-HR Past Chair and Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Indiana University
Conversation With a College President
This segment will be a structured conversation with a sitting college president to frame the key actions for chief HR officers in addressing crucial workforce challenges. Areas of focus will include organizational workforce planning, developing leaders to meet future challenges in higher education, and the key work and actions CHROs and HR should be facilitating and leading to help ensure institutional success.
Panelist: Dr. Cheryl A. McConnell, President, Saint Joseph’s University
Facilitator: TBD
The CUPA-HR 2026 CHRO Survey
In this segment, we’ll present the results from our inaugural CHRO Survey. We’ll review the top challenges, priorities and predictions for CHROs for the coming year, including policy changes, restructuring, budget constraints, employee well-being and more. We’ll also do a deep dive on the current uses of AI in HR and the impacts of AI on the higher ed workforce. Finally, we’ll cover what remote and hybrid work look like now — all from the perspective of the CHRO. Throughout this segment, you’ll have the opportunity to have interactive discussions about how your institution is meeting the moment in each of these areas, which challenges remain, and what we can do collectively to make progress.
Presenter: Jackie Bichsel, Ph.D., Associate Vice President of Research, CUPA-HR
Practicing Public Policy in Higher Education
In our final segment, we’ll explore the impact of evolving federal policy and regulatory priorities on higher education.
Panelists: TBD
Facilitator: Josh Ulman, Chief Government Relations Officer, CUPA-HR
