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.

8:00am CDT

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Tuesday June 23, 2026 8:00am - 8:15am CDT

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

Opening remarks from ARE-ON Executive Director Elon Turner. Housekeeping, conference logistics, and a brief overview of the day ahead.

Speakers

Elon Turner

Executive Director, ARE-ON

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 - 8:15am CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom V 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

General Session

Company ARE-ON

12:30pm CDT

State of ARE-ON: Built for What's Next

Tuesday June 23, 2026 12:30pm - 12:45pm CDT

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

Twenty years of investment in shared research and education infrastructure has changed what is possible for Arkansas higher education and healthcare. This session reflects on that progress, examines the current state of ARE-ON's network and services, and turns to the strategic questions that will define the next era. Attendees will hear from ARE-ON Executive Director Elon Turner and learn how to engage in an upcoming formal strategic planning process.

Speakers

Elon Turner

Executive Director, ARE-ON

Tuesday June 23, 2026 12:30pm - 12:45pm CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom V 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

General Session

Company ARE-ON
Audience IT Leaders
Subject Strategy, Collaboration & Applications

4:00pm CDT

ARE-ON Technical Updates

Tuesday June 23, 2026 4:00pm - 4:30pm CDT

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

Scott Ramoly, Chief Technology Officer of ARE-ON, presents the latest updates on ARE-ON's network infrastructure, services, and technical roadmap. This session covers recent enhancements, upcoming changes, and the engineering priorities shaping how ARE-ON serves its member institutions.

Speakers

Scott Ramoly

Chief Technology Officer, ARE-ON

Chief Technology Officer – ARE-ON
Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network

Tuesday June 23, 2026 4:00pm - 4:30pm CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom V 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

Presentation

Company ARE-ON
Audience Network Engineers, Administrators
Subject Infrastructure, Security & Operations

4:30pm CDT

Coherent Optics Transforming Regional Networks

Tuesday June 23, 2026 4:30pm - 5:00pm CDT

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

High-performance networking is evolving rapidly, delivering dramatically more capacity while fundamentally changing the cost model. This technical session examines how high-speed coherent optics are being deployed across ARE-ON's metro and regional infrastructure — what the technology enables, how it's being implemented, and what it means for the institutions and research communities ARE-ON serves.

Speakers

Steven Karp

Senior Network Engineer, ARE-ON

Tuesday June 23, 2026 4:30pm - 5:00pm CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador C 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

Presentation

Company ARE-ON
Audience Network Engineers
Subject Infrastructure, Security & Operations

9:00am CDT

IT Leadership Across Arkansas: Challenges and Priorities from the ARE-ON Member Community

Wednesday June 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am CDT

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

Senior IT leaders from ARE-ON member institutions share what's driving their priorities right now, from budget and staffing to AI adoption and cybersecurity. This panel offers an honest look at the state of campus IT across Arkansas. Moderated by ARE-ON Executive Director Elon Turner.

Eddie Mahar - Associate VP of IT and CIO - Northwest Arkansas Community College
Eric Boardway - Director of IT - National Park College
Chris Lee - CIO - University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Jon Kelley - Associate VP, Technology - Art and Wellness Enterprises

Moderators

Elon Turner

Executive Director, ARE-ON

Wednesday June 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom V 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

Panel

Company ARE-ON
Audience IT Leaders, CIOs
Subject Strategy, Collaboration & Applications

11:30am CDT

State of Higher Ed Cybersecurity

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

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

Higher education institutions face growing cyber threats amid limited resources and complex environments. This panel brings together cybersecurity leaders to share practical approaches for implementing best practices, prioritizing risk, and maximizing impact with constrained teams and budgets.

Panelists will also discuss strategies for communicating cyber risk to leadership and managing the opportunities and challenges of AI within academic environments. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to strengthen cybersecurity resilience across their institutions.

Moderators