GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026: Full Schedule

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.

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8:00am CDT

Keynote: Transform IT, Transform Everything in the Higher Education Industry

Wednesday June 24, 2026 8:00am - 8:45am CDT

Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom V @ 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

In this presentation, we will discuss external and internal forces that are dramatically changing the higher education ecosystem in conjunction with the exponential rate of change impacting IT. The impact of multiple and dynamic changes in funding, agentic AI, data quality, post-quantum encryption, culture, and ERPs, on pedagogy, research, and administration are core to the discussion. We will discuss how to successful to pivot an Education IT organization in this era of non-trivial transformation.

Speakers

Mark Roman

Managing Partner for Education, Info-Tech Research Group

Mark Roman is the Managing Partner for Education and works with members throughout the higher education and K-12 sectors around the world. He is responsible for the delivery of Info-Tech services to members and the alignment of research with the education sector's needs.

https://w... Read More →

Wednesday June 24, 2026 8:00am - 8:45am CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom V 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

Presentation

Company Infotech Research Group
Audience IT Leaders, CIOs
Subject Strategy, Collaboration & Applications

10:45am CDT

OAK Supercomputing Center: Resources Overview

Wednesday June 24, 2026 10:45am - 11:30am CDT

Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador C @ 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

The OAK Supercomputing Consortium's Cimarron high-performance computing system is nearing operational status and will be available at no cost to researchers at institutions across Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Chris Frennell, Interim Director of the OAK Supercomputing Consortium, provides an overview of Cimarron's capabilities, how regional researchers can gain access, and what the consortium's shared infrastructure model means for HPC availability across the three-state area.

Speakers

Christopher Fennell

Interim Director, OAK Supercomputing Consortium, OSU

Wednesday June 24, 2026 10:45am - 11:30am CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador C 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

Presentation

Company Oklahoma State University
Audience Network Engineers, HPC Professionals, Researchers
Subject Infrastructure, Security & Operations

10:45am CDT

Resilient IT: Winning with People and Process

Wednesday June 24, 2026 10:45am - 11:30am CDT

Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & B @ 3303 South Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers, AR, USA

This keynote presents research on how IT organizations can build resilience in the face of environmental turbulence by focusing on the foundational pillars of IT service quality (people) and IT governance (process). Drawing on a study of 157 IT leaders, it demonstrates that resilience is not reactive, but proactively developed through mature governance practices and a strong service culture. Attendees will gain practical, research-backed insights on how to strengthen their IT organizations to adapt, recover, and lead through disruption.

Attendees will leave with a clear, actionable framework to strengthen IT organizational resilience by intentionally advancing IT service quality (people) and IT governance maturity (process), enabling them to lead their organizations more effectively through disruption.

Meeting Audience: CIOs / CTOs, VPs of IT

Speakers

Wesam Helou

Chief Information Officer, Cleveland State University

Dr. Wesam Helou is a cabinet-level Chief Information Officer, national speaker, and practitioner-scholar whose career sits at the intersection of enterprise technology leadership and organizational resilience. Known for building high-performing organizations and driving transformational... Read More →

Wednesday June 24, 2026 10:45am - 11:30am CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & B 3303 South Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers, AR, USA

Presentation

Company Cleveland State University
Audience Network Engineers, IT Leaders, CIOs
Subject Infrastructure, Security & Operations, Strategy, Collaboration & Applications

11:30am CDT

Birds of a Feather: Resources and Funding to Support Advanced Cyberinfrastructure

Wednesday June 24, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm CDT

Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & B @ 3303 South Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers, AR, USA

Join this conversation with veterans and newcomers to the field of project management and grants acquisition to explore ideas and options as the funding scenarios for science and education evolve.

Speakers

Dana Brunson

Executive Director for Research Engagement, Internet2

Dr. Dana Brunson is Executive Director for Research Engagement at Internet2, where she leads a team that advances research and education through national cyberinfrastructure. She is an advocate for researchers, educators, and the research computing and data (RCD) professionals who... Read More →

Amy Apon

Program Director, National Science Foundation

Amy Apon has been a Program Director in the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure since January 2023. She is the lead Program Director for the Campus Cyberinfrastructure program. Apon joined NSF through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act in January 2023 from Clemson University... Read More →

Dan Andresen

Professor, Computer Science, and Department Head, Institute for Computational Research, Kansas State University

Daniel Andresen is a professor of computer science at Kansas State University and director of the Institute for Computational Research. Andresen’s research is in distributed systems, ranging from sensor networks monitoring bovine health levels to high performance computing systems... Read More →

Nick Eggleston

IT Architect, Kansas State University

Wednesday June 24, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & B 3303 South Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers, AR, USA

Presentation

Company National Science Foundation
Audience Network Engineers, Grant Administrators, Researchers
Subject Infrastructure, Security & Operations, Strategy, Collaboration & Applications

8:00am CDT

10:45am CDT

10:45am CDT

11:30am CDT

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