Virtual Legislative & Leadership Conference 2021 | National Council of Higher Education Resources | 1 February 2021 | Virtual Conference

This popular conference will be held just two weeks after the new Biden-Harris Administration takes office and a month after the new 117th Congress is seated, and is the first opportunity to hear about federal and state developments impacting your company and the higher education finance industry.

The conference committee has been hard at work putting together the draft program agenda, which will provide important and timely sessions on the political and policy environment in Congress and the new administration. It will also include a roundtable and sessions to highlight new ideas and approaches for improving postsecondary education for students and their families to enhance the conference experience for many of our attendees and emerging leaders. There will also be time in the program to virtually meet with your Congressional delegation, including returning and new members on the House and Senate Education Committees, on your advocacy priorities for inclusion in the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.; NCHER can help facilitate these meetings so that they are the most impactful.

The current draft agenda includes:

A timely and important session that will look at emerging higher education issues in the new Biden Administration and what the membership can expect in the first 100 days, such as new leadership at the U.S. Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a possible executive order on federal student loan forgiveness.

• An examination of major legislative proposals around free college and bankruptcy reform, the impact of several proposals on the membership, and whether there is a path forward for both issues in the 117th Congress.
• Keynote addresses by members of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee and U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee who will be invited to speak about their ideas for the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
• A Congressional staff panel where House and Senate staff will discuss the priorities of the Democratic and Republican leadership in the 117th Congress, and a Congressional staff briefing where NCHER members will discuss how they are assisting struggling borrowers impacted by the economic fallout associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A session on state leadership in realigning the higher education system with today’s workforce and a discussion on how to properly rebrand your organization and the services provided to students and families so you are better positioned for success in the future.
• A pre-conference roundtable on strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion at your organization and in the higher education finance industry.

2021 Speakers

Scott D. Giles
Chair, National Council of Higher Education Resources

Donna Fritz
Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Trellis Company

Linda Hackleman
Vice President, Human Resources, Trellis Company

Gracie Johnson-Lopez
President and Inclusion Strategist, Diversity & HR Solutions

Kathy Noel
Human Resources Director, College Foundation, Inc.

James P. Bergeron
President, National Council of Higher Education Resources

Alex Nock
Principal, Penn Hill Group

The Honorable Bobby Scott (D-VA)
Chairman, U.S. House Education and Labor Committee

The Honorable Susan Wild (D-PA)
Member, U.S. House Education and Labor Committee

The Honorable Lloyd Smucker (R-PA)
Member, U.S. House Ways and Means Committee

Bryce McKibben
Senior Policy Advisor (Invited), U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee – Democratic Staff

Alex Ricci
Professional Staff Member, U.S. House Education and Labor Committee – Republican Staff

Lauren Schwensen
Education Policy Advisor, U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee – Republican Staff

Claire Viall
Professional Staff Member, U.S. House Education and Labor Committee – Democratic Staff

Noel Ginsburg
Chief Executive Officer, CareerWise Colorado

Zora Mulligan
Commissioner of Higher Education, Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development

James P. Bergeron
President, National Council of Higher Education Resources

Jason D. Delisle
Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Nancy Conneely
Director of Policy, AccessLex Center for Legal Education Excellence

Richardo I. Kilpatrick
President, Kilpatrick & Associates, PC

The Honorable Mike Braun (R-IN)
Member, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

Eugene “Gene” Hutchins
Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority

MODERATORS:

Vicki Shipley
Senior Advisor, National Council of Higher Education Resources

Will Shaffner
Director of Business Development and Government Relation, Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority

Paul Fain
Senior Fellow, Center for Education Consumer Insights, Strada Education Network

Jim Holt
Chief Revenue Officer, Credit Union Student Choice