TENNAIR 2026

TENNAIR 2026

Embassy Suites Nashville - Airport

August 5-7, 2026

1:00pm CDT

Getting in Tune with Modern Data Tools: A Practical Introduction to R and Python Mississippi BallroomBrian Joy • Derrick Dupuis

3:30pm CDT

Navigating the IPEDS Access Database Content Tennessee BallroomMatthew Trengove

6:30pm CDT

Trapped Escape Game | Optional Networking Activity | Sign-Up by 7/29 Required | Participants Pay Their Own Admission Trapped Escape Game Nashville

8:30am CDT

Opening Remarks Tennessee/Virginia Ballroom

8:40am CDT

Keynote Speaker - Dr. Jules White Tennessee/Virginia Ballroom

9:30am CDT

Finding Harmony in Assessment: A Data-Informed Approach Using the Meta-Assessment Rubric Mississippi BallroomApril Mattews Tennessee’s Private Colleges and Their Economic Impact: What the Numbers Mean—and Why They Matter Alabama BallroomCameron Conn Visualizing Foot Traffic Across Our Campuses: WSCC's Campus Flow Dashboard Tennessee BallroomAlex Smyth Welcome to Institutional Research! An Introduction to the Field, its Past, and its Future Virginia BallroomMelissa Hunter • Matt Rehbein • Denise Gardner • Jacob Kamer

10:20am CDT

Short Break Tennessee Ballroom Foyer

10:40am CDT

Creating Harmony in Program Review: Administrative Tools, Templates, and Strategies That Promote Success. " Tennessee BallroomMegan Miller • Cheri Clavier Finding the Right Rhythm: Advancing Data Governance at Scale Mississippi BallroomDale TeGantvoort • Caroline Mann • William Fulford Show Me The Money: Institutional Research Teams Up With The Chief Revenue Officer Alabama BallroomMatt Rehbein What Looking at TELS Tells Us: Evaluating the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Virginia BallroomJoseph Sturm • Josh Skiles • Joseph Barton

11:30am CDT

Lunch on Your Own - Past President's Lunch - by Invitation Only Nashville Tap House

1:00pm CDT

Segmental Meeting - Locally-Governed Institutions Tennessee Ballroom Segmental Meeting - Private & Independent Schools Arkansas BallroomAmy Heckman Segmental Meeting - Univerisity of Tennessee System Virginia Ballroom Segmental Meetings - Tennessee Board of Regents Mississippi BallroomAmy Moreland

2:00pm CDT

ADA compliance Mississippi BallroomShelby Smith Navigating the IR Multiverse: The Effective Use of AI in Institutional Research Alabama BallroomLige Hensley Strategies for Demonstrating Compliance with SACSCOC Institutional Effectiveness Standards Tennessee BallroomKevin Harris • Lindsay Young Understanding Student Time to Completion Virginia BallroomKati Murphy

2:50pm CDT

Short Break Tennessee Ballroom Foyer

3:30pm CDT

Analytics for Advocacy: Lessons Learned from Building the Impact Credential Model Alabama BallroomHenry Savich From Data Modernization to AI-Enabled Decision Making in Institutional Research Virginia BallroomGregory Schutz • Melissa Hunter • Christopher Mowery From Data to Decisions: Intelligence and Automation for Smarter Academic Operations Mississippi BallroomBen Chester How Does Your Campus See IR? Understanding Office Positioning Through Theory-Informed Listening Sessions Tennessee BallroomRocky Walker

5:00pm CDT

Reception - Networking Hour with Live Music by WSCC's Data Analyst, Alex Smyth Carolina Ballrooms

6:00pm CDT

Trivia Night (immediately following reception) Carolina BallroomsRion McDonald

8:00am CDT

Higher Ed Leaders Panel Tennessee/Virginia Ballroom

9:00am CDT

Innovation in Tune: Orchestrating a Stakeholder-Driven Strategic Planning Process Mississippi BallroomAmber Nelms • Darlette Samuels Stop Publishing Static Surveys: How to Build Interactive Visualizations That Scale Tennessee BallroomDerrick Dupuis • Jordan Whitehouse Turning Workforce Data into Decision-Making Power: Integrating Education and Labor Market Data for Career and Program Alignment Virginia BallroomAmy Moreland • Alex Gorbunov • Gregory Schutz

9:50am CDT

Short Break Tennessee Ballroom Foyer

10:20am CDT

Exploring Transfer Programs Across Tennessee's Community Colleges Tennessee BallroomRobert Quittmeyer From Demo to System: AI-Augmented Analytics in Production at a Small Private Virginia BallroomBryson McNichols One Team, One Look: Strategies for Uniform Reporting in Institutional Research Mississippi BallroomJim Lenio • Nick Humensky

11:30am CDT

Keynote Speaker - Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner Tennessee/Virginia Ballroom

12:30pm CDT

Lunch & Awards/Business Meeting Carolina Ballrooms