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Registration is now closed
Member rate: $450
Non-member-rate: $549
Alumni management and strategies are the forefront of this summit. Targeted to those who leads teams and direct the future of how alumni are being engaged within their institution this summit is integral to building the success and capacity of your alumni efforts.
Gather with your colleagues for an exceptional experience that includes ample time to re-connect with colleagues from across Canada.
CFRE Approved
Full participation in the 2023 Summit for Alumni Leaders is applicable for 7.75 points in Category 1.B -Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.
2023 Summit for Alumni Leaders CFRE tracking sheet
Schedule
| wdt_ID | Start | End | Session | Speaker | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:30 ET | 9:10 ET | Breakfast | ||
| 2 | 9:10 ET | 9:15 ET | Welcome & Summit Opening | ||
| 3 | 9:15 ET | 11:00 ET | Enhancing Alumni Engagement | Colleen Bangs & Tina Miller, University of Calgary | tbc |
| 4 | 11:00 ET | 11:15 ET | Break | ||
| 5 | 11:15 ET | 12:15 ET | Young Alumni Programming Strategy & Forum | Susan Fine, University of Toronto | tbc |
| 12 | 12:15 ET | 13:15 ET | Lunch | ||
| 13 | 13:15 ET | 14:30 ET | Canadian Alumni Survey | Ray Satterthwaite, Engagement Analysis inc. | tbc |
| 14 | 14:30 ET | 14:45 ET | Break | ||
| 15 | 14:45 ET | 15:45 ET | Bored of Boards | Tracy Bowman, University of Manitoba, Anthony Gill, University of Prince Edward Island, Patti Lauzon, University of Windsor & Barry Seller, Algonquin College | tbc |
| 16 | 15:45 ET | 15:50 ET | Break | ||
| 17 | 15:50 ET | 16:15 ET | Bored of Boards - Group Discussion | tbc | |
| 19 | 16:15 ET | 16:30 ET | Day 1 Wrap-up | ||
| 20 | 17:00 ET | 19:00 ET | Cinq à Sept reception hosted by Presenting Partner Manulife | Maison Manuvie |
| wdt_ID | Start | End | Session | Speaker | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:00 ET | 8:45 ET | Breakfast | ||
| 2 | 8:45 ET | 9:50 ET | What Is Next in Alumni Events? | Stephanie Hip, Tess Kelley, Gabrielle Korn & Shana Szikman, McGill University | tbc |
| 3 | 9:50 ET | 10:00 ET | Break | ||
| 4 | 10:00 ET | 11:15 ET | Safe Space Session: Alumni Relations for a changing world | Temi Akin-Aina, Western University, Julie Lafford, York University & Krishan Mehta, Toronto Metropolitan University | tbc |
| 5 | 11:15 ET | 11:30 ET | Break | ||
| 12 | 11:30 ET | 12:30 ET | Empathic Leadership & Organizational Culture | Anita Nowak, PhD , Author, Speaker, Culture Coach, Purposeful Empathy & Lecturer, McGill University | tbc |
| 16 | 12:30 ET | Summit close, Box lunch upon departure |
Sessions
Sessions are being confirmed, stay tuned for the full program
Colleen Bangs
Tina Miller
Enhancing Alumni Engagement: Thinking outside of our silos
Colleen Bangs, Senior Director, Alumni Engagement , University of Calgary
Tina Miller, Alumni Experience Advisor, University of Calgary
Join Colleen Bangs, Senior Director, Alumni Engagement, and Tina Miller, Alumni Experience Advisor, for some insight into examples of collaboration and integrated planning at University of Calgary which are working to advance goals across portfolios in the Office of Advancement. From shared roles to shared goals, get tips on how to create efficiencies through partnership and increase the impact of your work. Presentation will include a 45-minute workshop on identifying the gaps in your alumni engagement journey.
- Better understand the value and impact of internal collaboration.
- Identify potential partners in your campus community where there are opportunities for intersection.
- Create an action plan for collaboration.
Susan Fine
Young Alumni Programming Strategy & Forum
Susan Fine, Director, Alumni Programs and Services, University of Toronto
Join Susan Fine, Director, Alumni Programs and Services, to review how the University of Toronto has evolved their young alumni engagement targeting and programming since 2020. U of T has focused on breaking down portfolio silos, opening up programming to broader demographics, and developing a communications-based engagement plan leveraging programs and benefits from across the University. We will reflect on the value these changes have added, what we have lost, and how the program will continue to develop as we look towards the next 5 graduating classes and beyond.
In addition to the presentation, there will be an open forum discussion to share your own wins and challenges related to engaging your institution’s young alumni.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn to leverage communications in developing meaningful engagements within your recent graduates.
- Explore the benefits of planning for both targeted exclusive engagement opportunities and broader opportunities accessible to your entire alumni community.
- Engage in conversation with colleagues to better understand the opportunities that exist within your own young alumni engagement.
Canadian Alumni Survey: Hey! What’s going on?
Ray Satterthwaite, President, Engagement Analysis Inc.
What exactly is going on in the educational alumni space right now? How are people managing their programs, their teams and their mandates after two years of working from home, with virtual & in-person engagement, and all of the unknowns.
There appear to be more questions, than answers. CCAE has noticed that alumni and advancement communities across the country, have a lot of questions.
The time spent virtually, didn’t just distance internal office teams, it distanced the connections between provinces and colleagues. CCAE in partnership with Engagement Analysis inc. is embarking on a “Hey! What’s going on? Survey” of alumni professionals across Canada. The goal is to find a place to start conversations and share as much information as possible.
Questions will cover areas of resourcing, staffing and overall experiences.
Take this time, to share what’s going on. When meeting in person at the 2023 Summit for Alumni. Leaders, the survey results will provide basis for conversations and a bit of insight on how folks are managing their mandates.
- Provide data that will demonstrate the current environment within alumni offices across Canada.
- Foster discussions that will provide solutions and brain-storming around shared challenges and objectives.
- Identify key areas of growth and opportunities within the alumni operations.
Bored of Boards? The current state of affairs of Alumni Boards
Moderator: Barry Seller, Manager, Alumni Engagement, Advancement and Strategy, Algonquin College
Tracy Bowman, Executive Director, Alumni Relations, University of Manitoba
Anthony Gill, Manager, Alumni Engagement. Development and Alumni, University of Prince Edward Island
Patti Lauzon, Director of Alumni Affairs and Donor Communications, University of Windsor
Alumni Boards are an integral part of all advancement shops. They help build engagement, strategies and in many cases…literal buildings. To acquire highly engaged volunteers, time, effort and structure are necessary to facilitate optimal support.
With advancement shops in an ever-changing state of how they engage volunteers, (in-person vs. zoom meetings, local vs. global participation, & time commitment for both volunteers and staff), what does this mean for the traditional alumni board model?
This session will feature a fascinating panel discussion with leaders within this area, followed by deeper group discussions.
Learning Objectives:
- Hear different ways Institutions are engaging and working with their Alumni & Volunteer Boards
- Discuss and explore what Alumni Boards look like, could look like and how to prepare plans to support the changing needs of all those involved.
- Brainstorm ways to meet the demands of many, with minimal resources.
Tracy Bowman
Anthony Gill
Patti Lauzon
Barry Seller
(Moderator)
What Is Next in Alumni Events?
Stephanie Hip, Senior Officer, Strategic Engagement & Initiatives, Alumni Relations
Tess Kelley, Associate Director, Affinity & Engagement Services, Alumni Relations
Gabrielle Korn, Managing Director, Alumni Relations & Annual Giving
Shana Szikman, Associate Director, Student & Young Alumni Programs, Alumni Relations
The earth continues to move under alumni event planning! With the collision of work and home life, is the ink on our traditional signature events fading? Is inflation causing the deflation of our creative ideas and epic event aspirations? Is the hype around hybrid here to stay? Will privacy laws complicate this show-me-you-know-me era of personalization?
Join the McGill team for this highly interactive session that, using some of the data from EAi’s Canadian Alumni Survey, will give participants the chance to share insights and emerging best practices in post-lockdown alumni event planning.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will:
- Hear about event trends in 2023.
- Benchmark their event programs against event-related data from EAi’s Canadian Alumni Survey.
- Share successful post-lockdown event ideas.
Temi Akin-Aina
Julie Lafford
Krishan Mehta
Safe Space Session: Alumni Relations for a changing world
Temi Akin-Aina – Associate Vice President, Alumni, Western University
Julie Lafford, Assistant Vice President, Alumni Engagement, York University
Krishan Mehta, Assistant Vice-President, Engagement, Toronto Metropolitan University
Alumni relations is not just event planning and creating enduring connections with various communities. As different generations come together, so do beliefs, politics, hard truths and tough inner reflections. Take those groups and move them ALL OVER THE WORLD and delicate issues will inevitably arise.
The best way to tackle these issues is through conversation and sharing. How do you engage in ways that bring people together but honour vastly different perspectives? What role do alumni relations professionals play in upholding school traditions while moving progressive agendas forward? How do you build community in an increasingly fractured world?
This session will take some time to pause, share and reflect on the role alumni relations professionals play in advocating for social change while creating spaces where everyone belongs. It will not be recorded, shared or available to anyone who is not physically present.
CCAE is committed to creating a safe sharing space and will share topics of conversation, potential trigger warnings ahead of time.
Learning Objectives:
- Reflect on how the Canadian context connects to global issues.
- Hear how Alumni Relations professionals are navigating themselves and their teams through sensitive, delicate and often sticky matters.
- Take away strategies and ideas that one can implement within their own schools of practice.
Anita Nowak
Read Bio
Anita Nowak, PhD believes empathy is our superpower, and when wielded on purpose, can lead to personal, organizational and social transformation.
For the past fifteen years, Anita has held various leadership roles in higher education at McGill University dedicated to social innovation. She teaches Leadership, Ethics in Management and Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Desautels Faculty of Management. She was named Professor of the Year in 2014 and 2019 and recipient of the David Johnston Faculty & Staff Award in 2021 by the McGill Alumni Association.
She is a two-time TEDx speaker and author of Purposeful Empathy: Tapping Our Hidden Superpower for Personal, Organizational, and Social Change (Broadleaf Books, April 2023). She hosts a podcast and YouTube series by the same name (100+ episodes, 20K views), dedicated to amplifying the voices of people from around the globe who understand the world needs more empathy – and are doing something about it.
As a certified personal and professional coach, she also helps purpose-driven leaders and organizations create cultures of empathy through her boutique advisory firm, Purposeful Empathy by Design. Anita also advises HNW families to translate their philanthropic goals into social impact.
Empathic Leadership & Organizational Culture
Anita Nowak, PhD , Author, Speaker, Culture Coach at Purposeful Empathy | Lecturer, McGill University
In the face of climate change, Artificial Intelligence and crippling polarization, empathy has never been more important to democracy and the future of humanity. And in response to COVID, calls for greater EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) and psychological safety at work, organizations now understand the importance of empathic leadership and culture too.
The good news: humans are born to empathize, collective empathy has been a part of our successful evolution as a species, and extending empathy is good for us.
In this 1-hour interactive presentation, Dr. Anita Nowak will discuss the following, drawing from neuroscience, leadership studies, and positive psychology:
- What is empathy and why is it so important?
- What does empathy have to do with organizational success?
- How can we become more empathic leaders?
- How can we create more empathic cultures?