Customer expectations are evolving rapidly, making it essential to regularly assess your program management practices, policies, procedures, and systems to ensure you are delivering an experience that supports learning, builds loyalty, and keeps participants coming back.

Attend this Institute to engage in candid conversations with peers from centers across the industry about fresh approaches to elevating the participant experience. Through highly interactive small-group sessions, you will explore best practices, evaluate your current approaches, and gain practical feedback to help your center strengthen its impact.

Across four highly interactive sessions, you will join an open dialogue with peers who are facing similar challenges and testing new approaches within their own centers. While no one center has all the answers, together we can shape a stronger future for our industry. This professional development experience brings together program delivery leaders from executive education and continuing education units to exchange ideas, share customer experience best practices, and explore innovative approaches to program management.

New this year: Participants will have the opportunity to take part in onsite visits to local centers, offering a unique opportunity to gain real-time insight, observe practices firsthand, and learn directly from live program environments. Additional details will be shared after the program begins. These visits are designed to spark new ideas, practical strategies, and a broader perspective on how to elevate the experience your center provides.

Learning Objectives and Benefits of Attending

• Self-guided learning from one another about best practices for engaging customers
• Share your tips and tricks for working with instructors, facilities, and customers through the program cycle
• Increase your ability to work more efficiently
• Hear what software tools others are using (and not using!)
• Network with other customer experience and program delivery professionals

◊ Thursday, May 14^th, 2026 (4:00 – 5:30 pm EDT)

• Before, During, and After Program
• Opening and Closing Programs
• Technology
• Promoting Programs
• Certificates of Completion/Badging

◊ Thursday, May 21^st, 2026 (4:00 – 5:30 pm EDT)

Facilitators/Instructors

• Presentations
• Classroom Needs
• Schedule Expectations
• Lodging and Meals

Program Materials

• Paper vs Electronic
• Books, Article Permissions, Handouts
• Activities
• Technology
• Vendors

◊ Thursday, June 4^th, 2026 (4:00 – 5:30 pm EDT)

• Questions to Ask
• Technology
• Timing

◊ Thursday, June 11^th, 2026 (4:00 – 5:30 pm EDT)

• Structure, resources, policies and procedures
• Managing all the work
• Custom vs open programming
• Process improvement opportunities, way to be more efficient with the structures we have

* Session topics, their order and other program parameters are subject to change

Helen Brausen, Senior Director of Client Experience, Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional & Executive Development

Cheryl Bates, Director, Open Enrollment, Executive Education, The University of Texas at Austin

Allie McConnell, Chief Experience Officer and Co-Founder, Kinetic Partners

Allie McConnell is the Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer at Kinetic Partners, where she helps design and deliver impactful leadership and learning experiences for organizations and teams. She is a results-driven professional with over 15 years of experience in leadership development, executive education, program coordination, and business operations. Her background spans corporate roles at State Farm Insurance and Delta Air Lines, along with more than a decade in higher education at Texas A&M University—bringing together strategic thinking, operational precision, and people-centered leadership.

Allie is known for creating meaningful, high-touch experiences that strengthen relationships, elevate learning, and drive results. She thrives in fast-paced environments where details matter and outcomes count—whether leading complex initiatives, managing events, building internal systems, or creating processes that support team success.

During her time at Texas A&M University, she led dozens of executive education programs, directed awards ceremonies, supported senior leaders, and enhanced team operations. Known for her ability to “get it done,” Allie is trusted to manage critical projects with professionalism, warmth, and care.

Her contributions have earned multiple honors, including the Student Activities Excellence Award, the Selfless Service Award, and recognition as a 2016 Fish Camp Namesake.

Outside of work, Allie enjoys beach days, home projects, and quality time with her husband and son.

Thaya Rowe, Program Manager, Michigan Ross Executive Education, University of Michigan

Thaya R. Rowe is a program manager in Executive Education at Michigan Ross and is an experienced people, programs, and project manager with more than 25 years in the public and private sectors.

Her extensive project management experience includes simulation and curriculum development, and corporate university programs for Big 3 automotive manufacturers, international banking and telecommunications companies, and the energy sector. 

Thaya’s broad perspective gives her a deep appreciation for the development needs of professionals from a wide range of commercial and nonprofit sectors. Her passion and expertise lend to providing exceptional online and on campus experiences. 

Before joining Michigan Ross, Thaya worked for the University of Michigan in Public Policy, MENAS and African Studies programs. Prior to that she was a key account supervisor for Resort Condominiums International. 

Thaya earned her Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications and Business at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where she was a member of the swim team.  She volunteers for several non-profit organizations, including Michigan Relay for Life and Make a Wish Foundation.

In her leisure time, you will find Thaya outside in the garden, hiking with her family and their dog, or cooking and entertaining friends and family. She enjoys trying new foods, family gatherings, and has a passion for travelling, exploring nature and DIY projects and home renovations.

Evelynn R. Garcia, Program Delivery Manager, Sands Center for Professional Development, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Evelynn R. Garcia is the Program Manager for the Sands Center for Professional Development at the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. Having built her career within the UNLV community, she has a proven knack for balancing the “big picture” of educational design with the day-to-day details that make a program successful.

Prior to her current role, Evelynn served as a Program Specialist for UNLV Continuing Education. There, she sat at the intersection of community needs and professional growth, developing diverse learning portfolios that helped local and regional professionals advance their careers. This background in non-traditional education gave her a deep understanding of how to create high-impact, flexible programs for busy adults.

In her current role, Evelynn handles the heavy lifting—from managing budgets and partners to ensuring every program runs smoothly for students worldwide. As a project and program management expert, she specializes in taking complex ideas and breaking them down into clear, manageable steps. She oversees high-impact sessions on Lean, Agile, and strategic implementation, using a “practitioner-first” approach. Rather than just offering theory, Evelynn provides participants the practical, interactive tools they need to lead major business initiatives in the hospitality industry.

Evelynn earned her Master’s in Higher Education & Student Affairs and her Bachelor’s in Clinical Psychology & Human Services from UNLV. Her unique background in strategy, adult education, and passion for human services makes her a vital part of the executive education world.

When she isn’t leading programs, Evelynn loves heading back home to Orange County, CA, to catch a baseball game. She is a self-proclaimed foodie who enjoys shopping, traveling the world in search of new flavors, and spending quality time with her family and fur babies.