If you've ever volunteered at HEUG Alliance, you already know the drill. As a Connected Campus (CC) Community of Practice Champion, "busy" doesn't quite cover it. Between moderating sessions, rushing to stop-and-share tables, going to Birds of a Feather sessions, and somehow still squeezing in hallway conversations — there's never a dull moment. Not that any HEUG volunteer would have it any other way.
This year, I had the privilege of connecting with so many incredible people, and I just have to take a moment to highlight a few of them. (If I didn't mention you — please don't take it personally. My feet were moving faster than my notes.)
People Worth Celebrating
First up: @Rachel Cronn from the Project & Change Management (PCM) community. Rachel is not only exceptional at what she does at Boise State, but her contributions to PCM have clearly not gone unnoticed — she was awarded the Rising Star award this year. Totally well-deserved.
A huge congratulations also to @Sagaya Alphonse, our CC Chair. Sagaya brought real structure and energy to our group — consistently encouraging everyone and celebrating our contributions. She'll be stepping back from the CC Chair role, and we'll genuinely feel that absence, but knowing Sagaya, we'll absolutely still see her active presence throughout the broader HEUG community.
Shoutout to @Scott Nishizakifor leading what was honestly one of the most engaging Birds of a Feather sessions I've attended. He brought together our entire CC group — Technical, Reporting, Security, and Integrations — and the room was packed. The conversation naturally gravitated toward integrations, and then (obviously) took a sharp turn into AI territory. What struck me most was the consensus in the room: we're all wrestling with the same questions around AI and data governance, and nobody has it fully figured out yet. There's something oddly comforting about that.
I also had the pleasure of chatting with the legendary @Buddy Combs — and we mostly talked about family. Which, honestly, was exactly what I needed. That conversation just reinforced why Buddy has the reputation he does. He's deeply passionate about his institution's work and the HEUG community, and he genuinely loves seeing people come together — especially during a time when higher ed is navigating so much uncertainty.
And I can't move on without mentioning @Carolee Cohen, whose sustained dedication and investment in this community is truly motivating. She is one of the warmest, funniest people I've had the pleasure of talking with. Our conversations were equal parts inspiration and laughter — which is the ideal combination.
To everyone else I shared a laugh with (often of the self-deprecating variety), swapped "you won't believe this end user" stories with, or celebrated a hard-won campus victory alongside — thank you. Those moments are what make Alliance worth every brisk walk between sessions.
Welcoming the Newbies — Because We Were All There Once
One of the most meaningful parts of this year's conference for me was getting to spend time with first-timers. There is something really special about watching someone walk into Alliance for the first time, equal parts excited and completely overwhelmed — and honestly, that's how it's supposed to feel. Higher ed technology is a big, complicated world, and nobody figures it out alone.
I had the chance to connect with a couple of new Business Analysts who were navigating some very real, very relatable challenges. One had recently shifted into a role that involved PeopleSoft Query — something they had never touched before — and they were understandably nervous about where to even begin. I pointed them toward our PS Query/SQL group and the fantastic and award-winning Query Series created by @Paula McDaniel, @Dede Young, and @Jamie Janazian. If you haven't explored that resource yet, do yourself a favor. I also shared my contact info so we could continue the conversation — because sometimes you just need someone to talk it through with, and that's exactly what this community is for.
Another new BA was grappling with a challenge that honestly never fully goes away: how do you translate the technical side of things into language your end users actually understand? And perhaps even trickier — what do you do when your boss hands you something to execute that you don't fully understand yet, but you still need to get it done? (No pressure, right?) I directed them to the Business Analyst Network and encouraged them to attend a coffee hour. The BAN community is one of those spaces where you quickly realize everyone is figuring it out in real time, together — and that's incredibly reassuring when you're new.
If you're reading this and you were one of those first-timers: welcome to the community. You belong here, and we're glad you showed up.
My Top 4 Sessions (In No Particular Order)
I'm hoping that highlighting these sessions might also nudge the presenters toward offering webinars — because if you couldn't make it to Orlando this year, you missed out, and that's not fair to anyone.
1. From Insight to Impact: Developing Project Manager/Business Analyst Skills @Stacy Mitchell, Case Western University & @Traci Humphrey, Sierra Cedar
Stacy and Traci masterfully demonstrated how to manage complex processes without losing the human element. What am I bringing back to campus? Templates for seamless testing, and a much more intentional use of the DISC personality assessment to facilitate more empathetic, productive conversations with end users. Because sometimes the technology isn't the problem — it's the communication around it.
2. Bridging the Generational Gap: Working Across Five Generations in Higher Education @Moby Onuoha, McMaster University
Moby brought a genuinely fresh perspective to generational differences — grounded in actual research rather than the pop-culture shorthand we've all leaned on (and probably shouldn't). He explored communication, collaboration, culture, and time as complex, intersecting factors rather than tidy generational labels. What am I taking back? A renewed commitment to questioning my own assumptions about how people of different ages communicate, and a framework for having those conversations with colleagues. Age lines are blurry. Labels can divide more than they describe.
3. How to Best Collaborate and Innovate by Managing Up @Patrick Beatty, Michigan State University
Patrick laid out practical strategies for building more aligned, effective relationships with supervisors — think working style matching, boundary-setting, intentional feedback loops, and personality awareness. What clicked for me? The idea of having your boss's "radar" on when you're covering for them. That one's going in the playbook immediately.
4. Slideshow Magic: Build a Presentation in 60 Seconds — Master the Prompts That Make it Happen @Gaurav Ohri, University of Texas at Arlington (and fellow CC Champion — and, apparently, fabulous dancer)
Before Gaurav even got into the tools and techniques, he did something I didn't expect: he asked us to pause. To set aside our assumptions, skepticism, and preconceived notions about AI — and to approach the conversation with genuine openness and curiosity. It sounds simple, but in a room full of higher ed professionals who have opinions about AI, it was actually a powerful reset. From there, he walked us through building polished presentations using Copilot at a speed that felt almost unreasonable. What am I bringing back? A much more intentional approach to inserting Copilot into my existing workflows — with clarity on how to prompt it well rather than just hoping for the best.
Wrapping Up
That's just a small slice of what made Alliance 2026 worthwhile. And I have to give a special shoutout to @Renee Riley and @Crystal Hotchkiss for organizing a creative crafting session to close out the conference. Because nothing says "we work in higher ed technology" quite like needing to decompress with some arts and crafts after a week of PeopleSoft conversations — and honestly, it was the perfect way to wind down. Highly recommend.
I also want to take a moment to recognize the people who make all of this possible behind the scenes — and I mean all of it, all year long. @Brittany Moon, @Alexandra Green, @Casey Hickman, @Tesha Vera, and @Hillary Chambers from Higher Logic are [part of] the quiet engine keeping the Communities of Practice and Advisory Groups running well before anyone even books their flights to Orlando. They communicate, organize, encourage, and prepare us throughout the entire year so that by the time Alliance arrives, we're actually ready to show up and do the thing.
And to my fellow Connected Campus Champions — what a year. Getting together in person with the Champions who made it to Orlando this year was genuinely one of the highlights of the conference for me. We talked shop, swapped stories, and shared the kind of laughter that only comes from people who really get what this work involves. We keep it real, we keep each other grounded, and I'm so grateful for every single one of you. Here we are doing exactly that 👇
Yes, that is exactly what a group of highly competent, deeply professional higher ed technology leaders looks like. We stand by it completely and have zero regrets.
And I would be remiss not to close with a genuine thank you to HEUG for supporting my attendance through the US Scholarship program, and to my leadership at Duke for continuing to champion my involvement in this community. It means more than I can adequately express — though I'll keep trying, one conference at a time.