FloridaACE 2026

June 15 • Monday
9:00am – 12:00pm L Clearwater Marine Aquarium Employer Site Visit
Clearwater Marine Aquarium (249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767)

Speakers: Amy Kavanaugh, Sara Sabourin
9:00am – 5:00pm R Registration Open
Elevator Foyer
11:00am – 12:00pm N Bistro Connections and Conference Strategy
See Description For Locations

Speakers: Alexandra Minnick
1:00pm – 1:45pm O First-Time Attendee Orientation
Longboat Key

Speakers: Alexandra Minnick
2:00pm – 3:15pm P Opening Session & Keynote by Patricia Rossi
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Patricia Rossi, Lesa Shouse
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 1: Echoes of Innovation in Action: Creating Care Spotters to Transform the Career Fair Experience
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Lizz Giordano
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 2: From Classroom to Interview Room: What Early Career Talent Is Doing Right (and Wrong) in Today's Hiring Process
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Amy Kavanaugh
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 3: Building a Supportive Career Development Ecosystem: Positioning Student Well-Being at the Core of Career Decision Making
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Alexandra Minnick
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 4: Career Readiness in a Shifting Landscape: How OBBBA is Reshaping the Career Center
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Rahul Jindal
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 5: Implementing AI tools in Career Coaching
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Mohammed Forero Bucheli
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 6: Let's Talk Outreach: Career Readiness Across Campus
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Riya N. Patel, PMP, MPM
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 7: From Paychecks to Pathways: Reimagining Student Employment as a Career Development Strategy
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Edson O'Neale
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 8: Vibe Coding Across the Curriculum: Integrating AI Skills into Any Major or Course
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Elery Rojas
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE 9: Wellness in the Workplace
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Sara Sabourin
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE. 10: Career Service Software: Making Informed Decisions
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Kelli Grogan
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE. 11: Career Readiness through Networking
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Lindsay Singh
3:30pm – 5:30pm D TABLE. 12: Prototyping the Pivot: Using Life Design to Navigate Life's Transitions
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Ciara Suarez
3:30pm – 7:00pm E Expo Area Open
Ballroom Foyer
6:00pm – 7:00pm N Opening Reception - Exhibitors
Ballroom Foyer
7:00pm – 9:00pm S Evening Meet-Ups: 4 Events Available
See Description For Locations

Speakers: Amy Casari, Kevin Stevens, Alexandra Minnick, Sara Sabourin
9:00pm – 10:00pm S Poolside Nightcaps with the FloridaACE Board
Pool Bar

Speakers: Lesa Shouse, Megan Blanco, Amy Kavanaugh, Amy Casari, Alexandra Minnick, Dwayne Peterson

June 16 • Tuesday
7:30am – 9:30am R Registration Open
Elevator Foyer
8:00am – 9:30am B Breakfast & Annual Business Meeting
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Lesa Shouse
9:00am – 11:00am E Expo Area Open
Ballroom Foyer
9:45am – 10:45am C From Idea to Impact: Career Weeks That Resonate
Madiera

Speakers: Ellie Mobley, Ryan Hughes
9:45am – 10:45am C Launch a Campus Hackathon/Buildathon in 3 Hours to 2 Days: A Scalable Model for Student Innovation with AI
Indian Shores

Speakers: Elery Rojas
9:45am – 10:45am C Reimagining Career Services Through Intelligent Tools
Longboat Key

Speakers: Brendan Daigle, Jillian Prescott, Zita Gonzalez
9:45am – 10:45am C Small Teams. Big Impact. Collaboration is Our Superpower How partnerships help small teams create engaging career programming
Siesta Key

Speakers: Christine Moran, Tamara Eicher
10:45am – 11:00am N Morning Break - Grab a Snack
Exhibitor Foyer
11:00am – 12:00pm C Building CEOs: Empowering Career Coaches to Help Entrepreneurial Students
Indian Shores

Speakers: Kelly Nielsen, Golden Madume
11:00am – 12:00pm C Closing the Gap: Coaching Supervisors to Become Career Mentors
Madiera

Speakers: Lashay Vazquez, SHRM-CP
11:00am – 12:00pm C Data Storytelling: Turning Insights into Influence
Siesta Key

Speakers: Jeff Beavers
11:00am – 12:00pm C Launching Internship Week: What Worked, What Didn’t, and What I Learned From Year One
Longboat Key

Speakers: Trudi-Ann Dyer
12:15pm – 1:15pm B Lunch & Awards Reception Sponsored by RAIN Careers
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Sonia Hernandez, Lesa Shouse
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 1: Echoes of Innovation in Action: Creating Care Spotters to Transform the Career Fair Experience
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Lizz Giordano
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 2: Career Readiness in a Shifting Landscape: How OBBBA is Reshaping the Career Center
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Rose Fuller, Rahul Jindal
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 3: Building a Supportive Career Development Ecosystem: Positioning Student Well-Being at the Core of Career Decision Making
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Alexandra Minnick
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 4: Implementing AI tools in Career Coaching
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Mohammed Forero Bucheli
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 5: Transactional to Transformational: Building Employer Partnerships That Last
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Megan Blanco
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 6: Automating Student Success: Building a Certificate Workflow for Career Modules
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: CJ Clyde
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 7: From Classroom to Community: How Employer-Led Mentoring Builds Student Confidence, Career Readiness, and Community Connection
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Dr. Harris Ambush
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 8: Doing Less With Less
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Aubrey Shelton, Jessica Prather
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE 9: Connecting Career Support to Career Outcomes
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Greg Drinkwater, Nick Ryan
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE. 10: From Career Closet to Career Readiness: Building a Scalable Professional Attire Strategy
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: James Gilliam, Amanda Marshall
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE. 11: Faculty and Career Center Collaboration for Student Career Success
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Ellie Mobley, Ryan Hughes
1:30pm – 2:45pm D TABLE. 12: Beyond the Silo: Connecting Career Services, Employers, and Students Through Shared Purpose
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Anthony Hankerson
2:45pm – 3:15pm E Reenergize with Exhibitors sponsored by Base44
Exhibitor Foyer
3:00pm – 4:00pm C Career Treks That Inspire: A High‑Impact Model for Immersive Learning
Longboat Key

Speakers: Cheyenne Morman
3:00pm – 4:00pm C Hired, Not Just Noticed: Teaching the Skills That Actually Get Students the Job
Indian Shores

Speakers: Kyle Dresback, Dr. Jen Halter
3:00pm – 4:00pm C Stronger Together: Collaborative Strategies to Advance Transfer Student Career Readiness
Siesta Key

Speakers: Adelia Douglas, Anthea Henderson
3:00pm – 4:00pm C The Untapped Workforce Within Your Career Center
Madiera

Speakers: Maddy Nelson, Dwayne Peterson, Angelina Skimos, Taylor Snipes
4:45pm – 5:45pm N Wine & Coloring with the Board
Longboat Key

Speakers: Lesa Shouse
6:45pm – 8:00pm N Dinner sponsored by Fastenal
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Lesa Shouse, Amy Casari
8:00pm – 11:00pm S The Shoreside Swing & Beach After Party
Longboat Key

Speakers: Lesa Shouse, Amy Casari

June 17 • Wednesday
7:00am – 8:00am L Sound Healing with Sara
Longboat Key

Speakers: Sara Sabourin
8:30am – 9:30am N Breakfast
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)
9:15am – 9:30am P Opening Announcements and Affinity Group Information
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Lesa Shouse
9:30am – 10:15am C Affinity Group - Administration & Leadership
Siesta Key

Speakers: Kelli Grogan
9:30am – 10:15am C Affinity Group - Career Coaching & Advising
Longboat Key

Speakers: Megan Blanco
9:30am – 10:15am C Affinity Group - Employer Engagement
Madiera

Speakers: Lizz Giordano, Amy Casari
9:30am – 10:15am C Affinity Group - Future Professionals (Cancelled)
TBA
9:30am – 10:15am C Affinity Group - Internships
Indian Shores

Speakers: Alexy Barker
10:30am – 12:00pm P Closing Session with Keynote by Laura Hine
Sand Key Ballroom (Belleair/Redington)

Speakers: Laura Hine, Lesa Shouse