GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026

GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026

Welcome to the GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026 schedule. Use this page to browse sessions, view speaker and session details, and build your personal agenda for June 22–24 in Rogers, Arkansas. Check back through May as additional sessions and details are added.

9:00am CDT

Conference Registration Opens NWACC Commons

9:30am CDT

*Workshop: Setting Up and Maintaining a Science DMZ - Part I NWACC Conference Room 4

11:30am CDT

Networking Lunch NWACC Commons

12:00pm CDT

Welcome NWACC CommonsMickey Slimp

12:30pm CDT

*Workshop: Setting Up and Maintaining a Science DMZ - Part II NWACC Conference Room 4 *Tabletop Exercise: CMMC NIST 800-171/GPN Security Committee Meeting NWACC Conference Room 3 GPN Cyber Infrastructure Program Meeting NWACC Conference Room 5 GPN NPC/EC Meeting NWACC Conference Room 1 *Workshop: Designing Secure by Default Learning Environments NWACC Conference Room 2Shankar Ravi

1:00pm CDT

Sponsor Check-In and Booth Setup Begins Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall

2:30pm CDT

GPN NTAC Meeting NWACC Conference Room 4

3:00pm CDT

Refreshment Break NWACC Commons

3:15pm CDT

Keynote: GPN and the National Research Platform NWACC Commons

4:00pm CDT

*Tour: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art - Self-Guided (SHUTTLE) Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art *Tour: C‑TEC - Supporting the Trails and Biking Industry at NWACC NWACC Commons

6:00pm CDT

Opening Night Networking Reception Embassy Suites — Hotel LobbyPalo Alto Networks

7:00am CDT

Sponsor Booth Setup Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall Conference Breakfast Grand Ballroom I–IVFortinet Conference Registration Embassy Suites — Hotel Lobby

8:00am CDT

Welcome & Opening Remarks Grand Ballroom I–IVElon Turner

8:05am CDT

Keynote: The State of Fiber and Building A.I. Infrastructure Grand Ballroom I–IVGary Bolton

8:45am CDT

State BEAD Stakeholders Panel Grand Ballroom I–IVGary Bolton

9:30am CDT

Sponsor Showcase & Peer Networking Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall

10:00am CDT

Palo Alto Networks — Quantum Presenting Sponsor Session Grand Ballroom I–IVPalo Alto Networks

10:45am CDT

Sponsor Showcase & Peer Networking Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall

11:00am CDT

GlobalNOC Gateway Overview & Announcement of Release for ARE-ON Member Institutions Ambassador Ballroom CScott Ramoly • Ben Geels Fortinet — Sponsor Session Grand Ballroom I–IVFortinet Nokia — Sponsor Session Ambassador Ballroom BNokia Ritter Communications — Sponsor Session Ambassador Ballroom ARitter Communications

11:45am CDT

Lunch & Sponsor Showcase Grand Ballroom I–IVCiena/Lumen

12:30pm CDT

State of ARE-ON Grand Ballroom I–IVElon Turner

1:00pm CDT

Data-Ready Research: Leveraging Library Expertise in Supercomputing Applications Pinnacle Business Systems — Sponsor Session Ambassador Ballroom APinnacle Business Systems

1:45pm CDT

Sponsor Showcase & Peer Networking Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall

2:00pm CDT

Building Collaborations Using Non-Research Funding Mechanisms Ambassador Ballroom BMichael Wallace • Martin Maize GPN Statewide Initiatives in Quantum Technologies Ambassador Ballroom ATom Coffin • Ahmed Halimeh

2:45pm CDT

Sponsor Showcase & Peer Networking Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall

3:15pm CDT

Keynote: Internet2's Support for State Networks Grand Ballroom I–IVTripti Sinha

4:00pm CDT

Sponsor Showcase & Peer Networking Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall

4:15pm CDT

ARE-ON Technical Updates Grand Ballroom I–IVScott Ramoly Coherent Optics Transforming Regional Networks Ambassador Ballroom BSteven Karp

5:00pm CDT

Networking Reception Embassy Suites — Hotel Lobby

7:00am CDT

Conference Breakfast Grand Ballroom I–IVPIER Group Conference Registration Embassy Suites — Hotel Lobby

8:00am CDT

Keynote: Transform IT, Transform Everything in the Higher Education Industry Grand Ballroom I–IVMark Roman

8:45am CDT

State of Higher Ed IT Grand Ballroom I–IVElon Turner

9:15am CDT

Sponsor Showcase & Peer Networking Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall

9:30am CDT

HPE — Sponsor Session Ambassador Ballroom AHPE PIER Group — Sponsor Session Grand Ballroom I–IVPIER Group

10:15am CDT

Sponsor Showcase & Peer Networking Grand Ballroom V — Exhibit Hall

10:30am CDT

Keynote: Resilient IT: Winning with People and Process Ambassador Ballroom DWesam Helou

11:00am CDT

State of the State Networks Ambassador Ballroom CMickey Slimp

11:45am CDT

Lunch & Final Sponsor Showcase Grand Ballroom I–IV

12:45pm CDT

OAK Supercomputing Center: Resources Overview Ambassador Ballroom B Roundtable: Resources and Funding to Support Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Ambassador Ballroom CDana Brunson • Amy Apon • Kevin Brandt *Workshop: perfSONAR Workshop Ambassador Ballroom AMark Feit

1:15pm CDT

Afternoon Break Grand Ballroom I–IV

1:30pm CDT

Closing Remarks & Thank You Grand Ballroom I–IVMickey Slimp • Elon Turner

2:45pm CDT

*Tour (I³R) — University of Arkansas (SHUTTLE) University of Arkansas — I3R Facility *Workshop: Introduction to Deploying and Scaling Data-Intensive Workloads with Docker and Kubernetes on the National Research Platform Ambassador Ballroom BCaughlin Bohn