Schedule-at-a-Glance

Light Breakfast Available

Kathryn Enke, Vice President for Leadership and Strategy, AAC&U

Kate McCaffrey, CEO and Founder, Paradigm Twist, LLC

When people hear the phrase transformational leadership, they often think about visionary leaders, bold ideas, or large institutional initiatives. But transformation is rarely the result of a single initiative, a new strategic plan, or one extraordinary leader. Transformation grows through hundreds of everyday moments:

• Conversations that build trust,
• Decisions that create clarity,
• Priorities that remain connected, and
• Relationships that help people believe meaningful progress is possible.

How do leaders create conditions that allow people and ultimately institutions to thrive? This session will share strategies that make transformation possible, and engage participants in individual reflection, small group conversation, and facilitated plenary discussion about how to lead people to do their best work together.

Kyle Farmbry, Senior Fellow, AAC&U (Moderator)
Nora Demleitner, Executive Director, Ben and Myrna Cardin Center for Civic Engagement and Civil Discourse
Catherine Koverola, Clinical Psychologist and Executive Coach

The Forum on Transformational Leadership exists to give higher education leaders—at every level, in every kind of role—the knowledge, tools, and courage to meet complex challenges and create change. Nowhere is that pressure more concentrated than in the president's office, where sustained institutional strain lands first and hardest. This session treats the presidency as a case study that reflects the rest of the institution. Members of this panel and session participants will reflect on an on-going initiative studying how presidents translate difficult and challenging experiences into practices any leader can use to navigate moments calling for personal and institutional resilience. The conversation will be grounded in a new qualitative study the moderator is conducting in late 2026 with current and former college and university presidents, building on his 2025 research with fifteen sitting presidents. Panelists will test the study's early findings against their own experience and leave attendees with resilience practices they can use immediately, regardless of their title.

Carolyn J. Stefanco, Founder and CEO, Baret Leadership Consulting (Moderator)
Leroy Bynum, Dean of the College of the Arts, Portland State University
Gundolf Graml, President, Ursinus College
Evelyn Thimba, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Temple University

This session will invite higher education leaders to share their experiences, strategies, and lessons learned as they confronted both financial challenges and the necessity to lead transformational change. From the vantage point of a college dean, vice president for enrollment management, and president, at a wide variety of institutions, the panelists will reflect on the circumstances they inherited, the paths they forged, and the perspective of abundance they maintained. Participants will also work in small groups on a problem at the intersection of budget reduction and change management and will share their insights about positive leadership in trying times.

Annmarie Caño, Senior Fellow, AAC&U

How can university leaders lead with courage and integrity in the midst of a polycrisis? In this interactive session based on Dr. Caño's book Leading Toward Liberation, participants will sharpen the clarity of their decision-making by articulating the values they bring to their work. Participants will also create a personal mission statement that will act as a compass to guide strategy and action.

Kathryn Enke, Vice President for Leadership and Strategy, AAC&U