Join us for this year’s CEO Forum & Luncheon, where higher education leaders explore the opportunities and challenges shaping the next era of institutional strategy and impact.

This year’s forum, Sustaining the Academic Mission: Aligning Strategy and Finance for the Future, will feature a conversation with Laura Hubbard, NACUBO board chair and vice president for finance and administration at the University at Buffalo, along with Tom Harnisch, SHEEO Vice President for Government Relations, and WSCUC President and CEO Maria Toyoda.

Together, we will explore how shared stewardship between academic and financial leaders builds resilience and agility across the institution, cultivating cross-functional leaders who bridge strategy, finance, and mission. Our conversation will also highlight how external dynamics influence institutional strategy and decision-making, offering insights to help leaders anticipate pressures, strengthen advocacy, and align mission-driven priorities with the broader policy environment.

Attendees will gain insights into embedding continuous improvement and operational excellence into campus culture, ensuring that financial decisions and strategic priorities work in concert. This mission-driven approach to finance emphasizes stewardship not as cost management, but as the intentional alignment of resources to strengthen what matters most: the academic mission and student success.

Pre-registration is required for this session. A designated institutional leader (CAO, CFO, or COO) is welcome to attend if the president is not available.