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.

11:30am CDT

Networking Lunch

Monday June 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT

NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson Auditorium @ 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

Lunch will be a boxed lunch. Pick up your box lunch in the ENACTUS Lab and enjoy it with your cohorts in Peterson Auditorium.

Monday June 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson Auditorium 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

Meal

Company Great Plains Network
Subject Collaboration & Applications, Strategy

12:00pm CDT

Welcome

Monday June 22, 2026 12:00pm - 12:20pm CDT

NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson Auditorium @ 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

Welcome to the participants for GPN's afternoon of organizational meetings, along with workshops for both GPN and ARE-ON members. Two of the committees are meeting concurrently with workshop activities, so they are open to all conference participants but please get your tickets at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/. The welcome will highlight GPN's actions and accomplishments of 2025/6 and what's coming soon.

Speakers

Mickey Slimp

Executive Director, Great Plains Network

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 Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson Auditorium 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

General Session

Company Great Plains Network
Subject Collaboration & Applications, Strategy

12:30pm CDT

GPN Cyber Infrastructure Program Meeting

Monday June 22, 2026 12:30pm - 3:00pm CDT

NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Room 2048 @ 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

The GPN CIP Team initiates the program area ideas behind GPN, while facilitating their completion. Topics will include:

The GPN High Performance Computing infrastructure, including survey distribution and findings, NRP/OSG involvement, and the latest on the OAK SuperComputing Consortium. Contributors will include the GP-STOR NSF Project Team, NRP PI Frank Wuerthwein, and OAK project PI, Christopher Fennell.
State plans for A.I. activities and grant submissions.
Quantum projects within GPN
Emerging Institution activities
Priorities for 2027

Participation is open but voting is limited to committee members.

Speakers

Chip Byers

Chief Technical Strategist, Missouri Research and Education Network

Christopher Fennell

Interim Director, OAK Supercomputing Consortium, OSU

Derek Weitzel

University of Nebraska Lincoln

Frank Wuerthwein

Director, San Diego Supercomputer Center; CEO, Open Science Grid and the National Research Platform, University of California at San Diego

Monday June 22, 2026 12:30pm - 3:00pm CDT
NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Room 2048 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

Meeting

Company Great Plains Network

12:30pm CDT

GPN NPC/EC Meeting - Closed Meeting

Monday June 22, 2026 12:30pm - 3:00pm CDT

NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Enactus Lab @ 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

GPN Network Policy Committee / Executive Committee.

Discussion of GPN Administrative and Leadership Issues.

Closed to non-committee members.

Speakers

Benjamin Canlas

VP Info Tech/CIO, University of Missouri System

As the CIO of the Missouri System, Ben Canlas is also serving as the Chair of the GPN Executive Committee, heading the leadership and decision making team for the Consortium.

John Hennessey

Asociate Vice Chancellor for Information Technology & OneNet | CIO, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Monday June 22, 2026 12:30pm - 3:00pm CDT
NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Enactus Lab 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

Meeting

Company Great Plains Network

12:30pm CDT

*Tabletop Exercise: CMMC NIST 800-171 with special invitation by the GPN Security Committee

Monday June 22, 2026 12:30pm - 3:00pm CDT

NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Room 2047 @ 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

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/

Institutions of higher education are frequently targeted by malicious cyber actors. Adversaries seek persistent access to vital systems and aim to disrupt essential operations and services.

CISA Cybersecurity State Coordinator H. Gayle Combs will conduct a tabletop exercise to examine preparedness for a significant cyber incident. The simulated attack will address the ability to detect, contain and restore services. The analysis will explore impact, response plans, and measures for continuous operations. Discussion will incorporate strategies to satisfy incident response compliance requirements for handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) - consistent with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and NIST SP 800-171 protocols.

Collaboratively, Supervisory Protective Security Advisor Glenn Moore will touch upon effects of cyber-attacks on physical security, to include CISA resources to enhance campus physical security.

Speakers

Helen 'Gayle' Combs

Cybersecurity Advisor (CSA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Monday June 22, 2026 12:30pm - 3:00pm CDT
NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Room 2047 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

Workshop

Company Great Plains Network

2:30pm CDT

GPN NTAC Meeting

Monday June 22, 2026 2:30pm - 3:00pm CDT

NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson Auditorium @ 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

GPN Network Technical Advisory Committee will follow the Science DMZ workshop and go from 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm. Only committee members eligible to cast votes.

Speakers

Shannon Spurling

Shannon Spurling is a network engineer at the University of Missouri for MOREnet, the research and education network for the state. As the lead engineer, his team designs the network and the routers to support connections to the higher education, K-12, and government facilities for... Read More →

Monday June 22, 2026 2:30pm - 3:00pm CDT
NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson Auditorium 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

Meeting

Company Great Plains Network

3:15pm CDT

Keynote: GPN and the National Research Platform

Monday June 22, 2026 3:15pm - 4:00pm CDT

NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson Auditorium @ 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

For more than a decade, GPN and the National Research Platform (NRP) have joined forces to assure researchers throughout the Midwest have the access to advance computing resources to conduct research and to teach researching skills. Dr. Frank Wuerthwin is a widely recognized leader in the field, as the director of the San Diego Supercomputing Center and the lead of the OSG network for science. Frank will discuss the emerging role of GPN within the national research infrastructure and share ideas on greater involvement over the next decade. He will be speaking in the Peterson Auditorium

Speakers

Frank Wuerthwein

Director, San Diego Supercomputer Center; CEO, Open Science Grid and the National Research Platform, University of California at San Diego

Monday June 22, 2026 3:15pm - 4:00pm CDT
NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson Auditorium 900 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA

General Session, Keynote

Company Great Plains Network

8:00pm CDT

B.E.E.R.Net — Building Energy Efficient Research Networks

Tuesday June 23, 2026 8:00pm - 10:30pm CDT

Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Salon F-G-H @ 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

Close out Tuesday evening at B.E.E.R.Net — Building Energy Efficient Research Networks. Bring a regional refreshment from your hometown to share, or enjoy what others bring. All conference attendees welcome.

Tuesday June 23, 2026 8:00pm - 10:30pm CDT
Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Salon F-G-H 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy, Rogers, AR 72758-8936

Networking

Company Great Plains Network

10:45am CDT

State of the State Networks

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

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

Leaders from state research and education networks across the Great Plains Network region will give brief updates on what's driving their work and strategy. Each network representative covers the priorities, projects, and challenges shaping their state's R&E network, offering a fast-moving, multi-state view of where the region is headed.

Moderators

John Hennessey

Asociate Vice Chancellor for Information Technology & OneNet | CIO, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Speakers

Scott Ramoly

Chief Technology Officer, ARE-ON

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

Chris Kolsrud

Chief Technology and Security Officer, SD Board of Regents

Andrew Buker

Assistant Vice President, Infrastructure Services, University of Nebraska System

Andrew is an Assistant Vice President at the University of Nebraska System, leading Infrastructure Services.

Natasha Angell

Executive Director, MOREnet

Chris Crook

KanREN

KanREN, the national leader in public service connectivity, provides Internet and
network technologies to research, education, and public service institutions in
Kansas. Connect to the exclusive high-speed network that connects Research,
Education and Community Anchors throughout Ka... Read More →

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

Panel

Company Great Plains Network
Audience Network Engineers, IT Leaders
Subject Infrastructure, Security & Operations, Strategy, Collaboration & Applications

11:30am CDT

12:00pm CDT

12:30pm CDT

12:30pm CDT

12:30pm CDT

2:30pm CDT

3:15pm CDT

8:00pm CDT

10:45am CDT

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