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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Max Attendee Tickets Available: 25 *IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION Attendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this workshop. In addition, pre-registration for this workshop session is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/
Monday June 22, 2026 9:30am - 11:30am CDT NWACC Conference Room 41 College Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712
Recently joined GPN after working on NTIA, HUD, and HRSA grants in Texas. Now constructing a home near UAMS, UALR, and Philander Smith University in Little Rock.
Monday June 22, 2026 12:00pm - 12:20pm CDT NWACC Commons1 College Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712
Max Attendee Tickets Available: 25 IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION Attendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this workshop. In addition, pre-registration for this workshop session is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/
Monday June 22, 2026 12:30pm - 2:30pm CDT NWACC Conference Room 41 College Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712
Meeting for 30 min and then a Security Table Top Exercise: CMMC NIST 800-171
Max Attendee Tickets Available:20 *IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION Attendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this workshop. In addition, pre-registration for this workshop session is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/
Monday June 22, 2026 12:30pm - 3:00pm CDT NWACC Conference Room 31 College Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712
Max Attendee Tickets Available:25*IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATIONAttendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this workshop. In addition, pre-registration for this workshop session is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/OverviewTo support modern instruction in cybersecurity, networking, wireless communications, and advanced... See More →
SHUTTLE IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS TOUR (From NWACC and Embassy, To and From and back to Embassy for the Monday, June 22 Opening Night Reception)*Max Attendee Tickets Available:30IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATIONAttendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this Tour. In addition, pre-registration for this Tour is required at:... See More →
Max Attendee Tickets Available:30NOTE: There is a competing tour for this tour so the shuttle will NOT be available to take attendees of this tour back to Embassy. See Mickey Slimp for more details.*IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATIONAttendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this Tour. In addition, pre-registration for this Tour is required at:... See More →
Monday June 22, 2026 4:00pm - 5:30pm CDT NWACC Commons1 College Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712
Elon has spent his entire career in education IT, with seven years in K-12 and thirteen years in higher education as both a technical practitioner and in technology leadership roles. He believes there is no greater way to impact the future of Arkansas and the quality of where he lives... Read More →
Tuesday June 23, 2026 8:00am - 8:05am CDT Grand Ballroom I–IV3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936
The United States is experiencing unprecedented investment in fiber infrastructure, with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment accelerating toward near-universal coverage of homes and businesses by the end of the decade. At the same time, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence is driving a new wave of demand for high-capacity fiber networks to connect data centers and support next-generation... See More →
Gary Bolton is President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), the largest industry association dedicated to advancing all-fiber-optic broadband networks. Prior to joining FBA, he held senior executive roles at both venture-backed technology startups and large publicly... Read More →
Tuesday June 23, 2026 8:05am - 8:45am CDT Grand Ballroom I–IV3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936
Gary Bolton is President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), the largest industry association dedicated to advancing all-fiber-optic broadband networks. Prior to joining FBA, he held senior executive roles at both venture-backed technology startups and large publicly... Read More →
Tuesday June 23, 2026 8:45am - 9:30am CDT Grand Ballroom I–IV3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936
The presentation will provide an overview of the new GlobalNOC Gateway application. The application is intended to be used by members of GlobalNOC supported networks. The initial release of the application will allow for members to gain visibility into a high level status of the network, ongoing outages, upcoming maintenances, manage contact information at their institution for notification... See More →
Elon has spent his entire career in education IT, with seven years in K-12 and thirteen years in higher education as both a technical practitioner and in technology leadership roles. He believes there is no greater way to impact the future of Arkansas and the quality of where he lives... Read More →
Tuesday June 23, 2026 12:30pm - 1:00pm CDT Grand Ballroom I–IV3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936
Building collaborations by using non-research funding mechanisms Using federal and state funding sources to imagine sustainability, collaborations, customer engagement. Audience: CIOs / CTOs, Grant Administrators and PIs, Faculty and Academic Researchers
The Statewide Quantum Computing Working Group is a multi-disciplinary collaborative initiative launched in March 2026 to establish an integrated educational framework for quantum computing curricula across Arkansas. Led by the Emerging Analytics Center at UA Little Rock, the group brings together academic faculty from the Arkansas Quantum Network, industry partners, and technical experts to bridge... See More →
Elon has spent his entire career in education IT, with seven years in K-12 and thirteen years in higher education as both a technical practitioner and in technology leadership roles. He believes there is no greater way to impact the future of Arkansas and the quality of where he lives... Read More →
Wednesday June 24, 2026 8:45am - 9:15am CDT Grand Ballroom I–IV3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936
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.... See More →
Recently joined GPN after working on NTIA, HUD, and HRSA grants in Texas. Now constructing a home near UAMS, UALR, and Philander Smith University in Little Rock.
Wednesday June 24, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am CDT Ambassador Ballroom C3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936
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 →
*Max Attendee Tickets Available:30 IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION Attendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this workshop. In addition, pre-registration for this workshop session is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/
Recently joined GPN after working on NTIA, HUD, and HRSA grants in Texas. Now constructing a home near UAMS, UALR, and Philander Smith University in Little Rock.
Elon has spent his entire career in education IT, with seven years in K-12 and thirteen years in higher education as both a technical practitioner and in technology leadership roles. He believes there is no greater way to impact the future of Arkansas and the quality of where he lives... Read More →
Wednesday June 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm CDT Grand Ballroom I–IV3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936
*Max Attendee Tickets Available:30 SHUTTLE IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS TOUR(To and From the Embassy)
IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION Attendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this Tour. In addition, pre-registration for thisTour is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/
Max Attendee Tickets Available:40*IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATIONAttendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this workshop. In addition, pre-registration for this workshop session is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/Data-Intensive workloads are becoming ever more common in both research and education across the country.... See More →
