Blaze Bowers
Drexel University

Jonathan Fansmith
American Council on Education (ACE)

Jonathan Fansmith is the senior vice president for Government Relations and National Engagement at the American Council on Education (ACE), where he leads federal advocacy efforts on behalf of the nation's colleges and universities. He oversees ACE's engagement with Congress, federal agencies, and the courts on key issues including student aid, regulation, research funding, and tax policy.

Elliot Felix
Author, Speaker, Consultant

Elliot Felix is a student success author, speaker, and consultant to more than a hundred colleges and universities. He uses his background in design to create better connected colleges and universities by helping institutions rethink what they offer, how they are organized, and how they operate. Through his consulting work at brightspot strategy and Buro Happold with institutions including Carnegie Mellon, MIT, NYC, NC State, and the University of Virginia, Elliot has helped more than 1,000,000 students.

His first book How to Get the Most Out of College was published in January 2022 and received a blue star from Kirkus Reviews, calling it "A knowledgeable, enthusiastic guide packed with strategies and encouragement." His latest book The Connected College: Leadership Strategies for Student Success was published in July 2025 as the #1 new release in education administration and was named "One of the ten best books in higher education in 2025" by Forbes. He lives in Minneapolis with his son Theo, daughter Nora, and wife Liz.

Wade Harrison
Universities of Wisconsin

Wade joined the UW System Office of General Counsel in July 2014. Wade focuses in the areas of employment law, student affairs, diversity issues, health care, real estate, bankruptcy and training. Prior to joining UW System, Wade worked at the law firm of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. and his practice involved advising and representing both private and public employers in a variety of labor and employment, education and health law matters. Wade has appeared before the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, United States Department of Education - Office of Civil Rights, Wisconsin state courts, United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin and the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Wade received his bachelor's degree in Psychology from Loyola University, Chicago, graduating cum laude with minors in Women's Studies and African American Studies. Before starting his career in law, Wade worked in California and Chicago gaining experience in international trade and human resources.

Alli Jerger
Waukesha County Technical College

Alli Jerger serves as Associate Dean of IT Programs at Waukesha County Technical College, where she leads forward-thinking academic initiatives at the intersection of innovation, technology, and student success. With a background in IT, program development, and higher education leadership, Ali has spearheaded the creation of Wisconsin's first Data Specialist associate degree and continues to guide the expansion of workforce-aligned IT programs. She is passionate about empowering leaners and institutions to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital landscape through strategic, inclusive, and future-focused education.

Aaron D. Lacey
Thompson Coburn, LLP 

The Co-Chair of Thompson Coburn’s Higher Education Practice, Aaron has over two decades of experience assisting institutions to navigate complex legal and policy matters.  He and his colleagues are valued for their deep understanding of the postsecondary regulatory framework, including requirements relating to the federal financial aid programs, accreditation, and state authorization.  The host of Thompson Coburn’s popular Higher Education Webinar Series, and editorial director of REGucation, the firm’s higher education law and policy blog, Aaron is a frequent writer and speaker on topics relating to higher education policy and regulation.  He currently resides in Saint Louis, Missouri, with his wife and three kids, the world’s greatest dog, a second dog, and three rowdy chickens.

Peter Lake
Stetson University College of Law

Peter Lake is professor of law, Charles A. Dana chair and director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law. He has spent 35 years in higher education as a teacher and administrator. Prior to joining the Stetson Law faculty in 1990, Professor Lake practiced law in New York City at Cahill Gordon & Reindel and is a current member of the New York State Bar Association. 

Professor Lake teaches and writes in the areas of torts, higher education law and policy, insurance, and jurisprudence, and has won several awards for his teaching and scholarship. He is an internationally-recognized expert on higher education law and policy and has been quoted or referred to in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chicago Sun Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Time, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, various reported legal decisions including the supreme courts of Iowa, Rhode Island, Virginia, California, Massachusetts and Florida, and the most recent Restatement of the Law of Torts. He has appeared on several major media networks including NPR, ABC and CNN.  Professor Lake has authored numerous law review articles, books, and other publications. He is a highly sought after speaker and he has served as a presenter or keynote speaker at several hundred international, national, regional, and local meetings.  Professor Lake has trained thousands of campus personnel on student safety and other issues, including student mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, Title IX and sex discrimination, and First Amendment issues. 

Professor Lake also serves as a part-time Higher Education Consulting Attorney for the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, as a consultant for AGB Consulting (Association of Governing Boards), and as an expert witness through his private consulting business. 

Professor Lake is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Colleen Larsen
Wisconsin Technical College System

Dr. Colleen Larsen is the Director for Student Success with the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS). She received her PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she focused on the experiences of refugees in technical and community colleges. Colleen has been with the WTCS since 2017 and has over 15 years of experience in student services and instruction focused specifically on equity and serving minoritized communities. With a background in international relations, English language teaching, and global education Colleen has valuable experience working with a variety of educational institutions both in the United States and abroad and is passionate about holistic community-based education. As a director at the state level, Colleen supports all 16 technical colleges across the state in increasing access and success for underrepresented students through leading system-wide groups focused on inclusion for historically and currently minoritized communities. 

Gerardo Mancilla
Edgewood University

Gerardo Mancilla is an Associate Professor in the department of Curriculum and Instruction at Edgewood University. He also serves as the Director for the department of Curriculum and Instruction and as the coordinator for the undergraduate Elementary/Middle Education program. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate students in the Elementary/Middle Education program, English as a Second Language (ESL) and Bilingual Education programs. His research interests include Critical Race Theory, LatCrit, the school-to-prison pipeline, bilingual education, and immigration.  He holds a B.S. in Elementary Education, M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction, M.S. in Counseling Psychology, and Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to working at Edgewood University, Gerardo worked for the Madison Metropolitan School District where he was a Dual Language Immersion teacher. He has also been involved in the community with many youth programs and community organizations. He is currently the President for the Kind Lesli Ann Ambassadors, a Board member for the Friends of Sánchez Scholars, and a Board member for the Mexico International Study Opportunity for Learning (MISOL) program. In 2021, he launched the Educators and Immigration podcast where he interviews guests on ways to support undocumented students, DACA beneficiaries and mixed status families. 

Amy Missinne
Universities of Wisconsin Administration

Amy Missinne serves as the Ethics and Compliance Specialist for the Universities of Wisconsin Administration within the Office of Compliance and Risk Management (OCRM). As the Compliance Administrator, Amy's areas of focus include ethics and integrity, conflicts of interest, high risk compliance risk mitigation, compliance, and state authorization of distance learning. Prior to joining the Universities of Wisconsin Administration in June 2023, Amy spent over 10 years at the Universities of Wisconsin-Superior serving in various roles including Compliance Officer, Ethics Officer, Title IX Coordinator, Precollege Liaison, Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Federal Compliance Leader, and Executive Administrative Officer to the Provost. Amy holds a M.S. in Training and Development (Human Resources Development) and a B.S. in Service Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, as well as the professional designation of Senior Certified Professional from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP).

Paige Smith
Universities of Wisconsin Administration

Paige Smith serves as the Chief Compliance and Risk Officer for the Universities of Wisconsin Administration. In this role, she oversees the Office of Compliance and Risk Management. Paige has served in this role since January of 2022. Prior to that, she served in a variety of roles for the Universities of Wisconsin between 2010 and 2022. including Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (UW-Platteville), Chief Institutional Compliance Officer and Adjunct Lecturer (UW-Whitewater) and Senior  System Legal Counsel (UW System Administration).Paige has twenty years of experience in higher education and is a licensed attorney in states of Wisconsin and Illinois. Paige received her J.D. and B.S. degree in Administration of Justice from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

Quinn Williams
Universities of Wisconsin

Quinn Williams has served as General Counsel for the University of Wisconsin System since December 2017. Quinn graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002 with a B.A. degree and earned his law degree from Marquette University Law School in 2006. Quinn served as a Staff Attorney at the Department of Natural Resources from 2007 to 2012, then as an Attorney Section Supervisor from 2012 to 2015, and finally as Chief Counsel from 2015 to 2017, with a wide area of focus, including the statutory and constitutional framework and federal and administrative regulations appliable to the operation of public agencies, litigation management, employment, real estate, trademark, copyright, intellectual property, ethics, contract and procurement, public records, open meetings, risk management, disability, discrimination, bankruptcy and collections.