Annual CIVSA Conference

Join us in Charlotte for professional development, learning, networking opportunities, and more. For an idea of what the Annual Conference will include, you can view the 2025 Annual Conference Tentative Schedule. Session descriptions and a downloadable program book will be shared closer to the event.

The Annual Conference includes multiple educational opportunities, including peer led educational sessions, networking opportunities, hot topics discussions and more. A list of the sessions that will be presented will be posted closer to the start of conference.

Speakers
Our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Tania Israel, with a talk entitled “Realizing the Promise of Higher Education in a Divided World” and our Closing Speaker, Eileen D. Soisson, with a talk entitled “Leading Change: The Story of Implementing Feel the Teal Service Excellence Program at Coastal Carolina University” will bring insights and expertise from their work within higher education. You won’t want to miss either session! Visit the Speakers page to learn more about our featured speakers.

Workshops
Your registration fee includes a two-hour workshop facilitated by an external expert. You will be able to select the workshop that best enhances your conference experience on your pre-conference survey in April. The choices are:

“Facing the Fracture: Navigating Division with Insight, Skill, and Resilience” with keynote speaker Dr. Tania Israel
With polarization in the U.S. at a record high, politics, values, and identities divide us. Barraged with media images of ignorant, extreme, and hostile Americans, we are fearful, angry, and increasingly disconnected. Amidst stress and conflict, how can we maintain our sense of wellbeing and heal ruptures? In this program, Dr. Israel will offer guidance and practical solutions to help attendees build their capacity to operate effectively in their personal and professional roles. Insight about causes and consequences of polarization will offer a foundation for building dialogue skills and strategies for resilience. This informative and engaging workshop will prepare attendees for the challenges of this moment and beyond.
Learn more about Dr. Tania Israel on the Speakers page.

“Give to Get Trust: Leading Across Generations” with Phil Putnam
Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z: these four generations make up the exceptionally valuable and complex workforce of today, and the deep differences among their beliefs about work are adding significant friction to achieving growth and goals.

“How do I bridge their differences and deliver massive results at the same time?!” is a common and understandable leadership concern.
“How do I navigate return to office while keeping employee performance and engagement high?” is a daily strain on every leader, every day, right now.

With GIVE TO GET TRUST: LEADING ACROSS GENERATIONS, Phil Putnam helps solve the challenges of cross-generational leadership by equipping leaders of all ages and levels to understand why each generation responds to work and life the way they do, and gives tactical guidance for how to anticipate and navigate the collisions and chemistry of each combination of generations via a hands-on walk through of his Give to Get Trust Leadership Guide.
Learn more about Phil Putnam online.

“Leading with VALUE: A Practical Workshop for Leaders of All Levels” with Kerr Ramsay
In this dynamic 2-hour workshop, you’ll discover the concept of VALUE based leadership to improve yourself and your team’s performance. Through hands-on activities, engaging conversation, and concept development, you’ll gain practical tools to improve your effectiveness and to allow you to lead with purpose. The content of the workshop comes from more than a decade of experiments and implementation at High Point University where low staff turnover and high staff engagement have led to record numbers of annual visitors and record enrollments. This workshop is great for anyone stepping into a leadership role as well as those who are looking for new resources to enhance their current team.

Dr. Kerr C. Ramsay III is the Sr. Vice President for Enrollment at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. As a part of the enrollment team at the #1 Regional College in the South, he oversees the admissions efforts for seventy-three undergraduate programs and twenty-one graduate programs across fourteen distinct schools. Kerr has over twenty years of admissions experience in some of America’s most unique private colleges and universities. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Hampden-Sydney College, a Master of Divinity from Emory University, and a Doctor of Education from the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.

“NinerReady: Emergency Preparedness Tools” with Kevin Martin, Tiffany Bowen, and Kyle Lanasa of the UNC Charlotte Office of Emergency Management
This workshop will provide an introduction to emergency management in higher education and two in-depth, hands-on discussions on preparedness tools that UNC Charlotte uses: the NinerReady program and event action planning.
Learn more about Kevin Martin, Tiffany Bowen, and Kyle Lanasa online.

“Steps of Service Excellence” with keynote speaker Eileen Soisson
This interactive workshop provides participants with the tools to develop and implement a service excellence initiative within higher education. Attendees will learn to define service excellence specific to their institution or department, explore five key steps to enhance service delivery, and outline actionable strategies to foster a culture of service excellence across their campuses or departments.
Learn more about Eileen Soisson on the Speakers page.

Closing Dinner and Awards
We look forward to a special evening to close out our 2025 Annual Conference. The Closing Dinner and Awards will take place at the Westin Charlotte on Friday, May 30 from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Further details about the evening will be shared as we approach conference.

Thank you for your interest in presenting at Annual Conference. The deadline for submitting an educational session proposal has passed. Proposals were accepted through January 10, 2025.

Proposals are currently under review. We aim to notify all who submitted a proposal of their status by February 11. If selected, you must confirm your participation and all session details by February 28, 2025.

Questions? Contact Programming and Education Chair Brylee Groskreutz at bryleeg@iastate.edu. 

 

Key dates for accepted presenters

February 28 – Deadline to submit presenter/co-presenter agreements

March 3 – Deadline for all presenters and co-presenters to register for Annual Conference

March 5 – Presenter training webinar

April 11 – Deadline for all presenters and co-presenters to submit headshots and presentation PDFs

May 27 – 31 – Annual Conference

Keynote Speaker – Dr. Tania Israel

Tania Israel is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and award-winning author of Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide (APA, 2020) and Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation (Greenleaf, 2024). Dr. Israel’s work on navigating political conflict has been received enthusiastically by professional conferences, corporations, campuses, political organizations, and faith communities. She has shared her expertise with top media outlets, such as the TODAY show, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and NPR, as well as on her podcast, Ready to Be Strong. Her TEDx talks include: How to Win a Political Argument and What Halibut Fajitas Taught Me About Bridging the Political Divide. Dr. Israel has facilitated educational programs and difficult dialogues about a range of topics, including abortion, law enforcement, religion, and sexual orientation. She has received honors from Congress, the California State Legislature, and the American Psychological Association. To learn more, visit taniaisrael.com or connect with her on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.

Closing Speaker – Eileen Soisson

Eileen Soisson began her career in the hospitality industry and worked with the American Hospitality Academy for over ten years before starting her own consulting business, The Meeting Institute, in 2004. With more than twenty years of experience, she has significantly enhanced leadership and customer service programs for various organizations.

Eileen served as Executive Director of Training, Development, and Service Excellence at Coastal Carolina University from 2011 to 2020, where she created the university’s first service excellence program, Feel the Teal®. This program included eight training modules, a rewards and recognition program, and initiatives to promote a robust service culture. In 2018, Eileen co-authored Elevating Customer Service in Higher Education: A Practical Guide and was elected the first president of the Association for Service Excellence in Higher Education (ASEHE).

Currently, she directs the Wall Fellows Program at Coastal Carolina University, a two-year leadership development program for high-performing students seeking premier career placements globally.

Enhance your conference experience by registering for a pre or post campus visit at nearby institutions! There is a $25 fee associated with these tours, and space is limited.

Pre-Conference: Founded in 1946, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina’s urban research university, sits on a 1,000 acre campus just 9 miles from uptown Charlotte. UNC Charlotte is a diverse and inclusive institution with over 30,000 students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs within eight colleges. The University matches world-class research with outstanding academics, innovative support services and access to deep community connections all in the 15th-largest city in the U.S. for its growing student body.

Participants of this tour will learn about the visit programs at UNC Charlotte and experience an information session and tour specifically for CIVSA conference attendees.

Pre-Conference: Established in 1857, Queens University of Charlotte is located in one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities. As Charlotte’s leading private university, Queens aims to provide transformative educational experiences that prepare individuals for purposeful and fulfilling lives. With an average class size of 15 students, we ensure that all Royals have access to personalized mentorship and direct engagement with expert faculty.

During your visit, you’ll hear about our key admissions events and how we creatively utilize our space in the Queen City. You’ll also get a glimpse into how our student ambassadors use the power of storytelling to shape the experience of visiting Queens and create meaningful connections with prospective students. The visit includes a guided campus tour where you’ll witness the beauty and vibrant energy of our Charlotte, NC campus firsthand.

Post-Conference: Established in 1837 by Presbyterians of North Carolina, Davidson College is grounded in the Honor Code and our tight-knit liberal arts community. We are driven by our statement of purpose: to assist our 2,000 undergraduates in developing humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds for lives of leadership and service. Ranked among America’s most selective colleges, Davidson is one of about two dozen colleges and universities in the country that will admit you without looking at what you can pay, covers the bills beyond your family’s calculated contribution, and does so without putting loans in your financial aid package. Small classes (9:1 student to faculty ratio) enable our renowned faculty to collaborate with students, engaging them directly in original research and creative work across the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities, community-based learning, and education away. We strive to sustain a culture of belonging for staff, faculty, and students from diverse cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, national origins, socio-economic backgrounds, and abilities. Davidson offers 74+ majors, minors, and programs. 95% of our students live on campus all four years, and 25% of our students participate in NCAA Division I Sports. Davidson students get the best of all worlds—a vibrant campus community that’s located approximately 20 minutes north of Charlotte and endless opportunities for civic engagement and outdoor adventures.

Join us on campus for an introduction to academic opportunities, student life, and the admission and financial aid process. This visit will include an information session and tour specifically for CIVSA conference attendees.

Charlotte is one of the 25 largest cities in the U.S. and the largest city in North Carolina. Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte consistently ranks as one of the top growing cities and is home to more than 10 Fortune 1000 companies, including household names such as Bank of America, Lowe’s and Duke Energy. Charlotte is also home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, MLS’ Charlotte FC, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the U.S. National Whitewater Center.

Hotel & Travel
Our conference hotel is the Westin Charlotte, located at 601 South College Street, Charlotte, North Carolina. Rooms will be $199+ tax per night for single or double occupancy. At this time, our room block is currently sold out. We recommend that attendees should make hotel accommodations in a nearby hotel. If you would like to be added to a waitlist for rooms at the host hotel, please email events@civsa.org.  

Relax and refresh your mind, body and spirit at the Westin Charlotte. This downtown Charlotte hotel benefits from an ideal location in the city’s Uptown district, moments away from many popular attractions.

Parking is available to guests staying at the hotel. Valet Parking is $48/day. On-site self-parking is available for $35/day.

Travel Info:
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is located 14 miles from the conference hotel. CLT offers nonstop air service to 180 destinations around the globe and is home to eight major air carriers, 15 regional carriers and three foreign flag carriers.

The average taxi/rideshare rate between the airport and hotel is $25. Uber and Lyft operate at this airport.

Amtrak Charlotte Station 

The Charlotte Amtrak Station is located approximately two miles from the conference hotel and the taxi/rideshare rate is under $15.

Registration is open to professional staff only; undergraduate students are not eligible to attend annual conferences.

Need some assistance getting institutional support? Use this customizable letter template to help advocate for your conference attendance.

Consider becoming a CIVSA Member before registering for conference to take advantage of member-only rates. Members also have access to apply for Conference Scholarships by established deadlines.

Cancellation Policy
Please note that registration fees are non-refundable.

A credit for all fees paid less a $50 administrative fee will be issued if requested in writing by March 1. The registration credit has no cash value and is valid for the next CIVSA Annual Conference only. Cancellation requests must be submitted to civsaHQ@civsa.org and include the registrant’s name and institution. No credits will be issued after March 1.

Credits will not be offered for campus tour registrations.

An Annual Conference registration may be transferred to another professional staff member from the same institution. If the registration was paid at the CIVSA member registration rate, it may be transferred to (a) another CIVSA member at no additional charge or (b) a non-member with an additional $150 transfer fee. Transfer requests must be received in writing to civsahq@civsa.org. If a registration transfer is requested after May 1, the change will not be reflected in the conference program book or conference app.

Here are the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about a CIVSA conference.