Fame Forward 2026

Regulations are rolling in like high tide—so it’s time to secure your lines. Join fellow education leaders as we chart a safe course through shifting state and federal rules affecting institutional loans and payment plans. We’ll cover TILA requirements, state registration, default management, and the legislative “storms” forming on the horizon. Leave with practical knowledge to stay cool, stay compliant, and keep your school steady amid the waves of change.

In this session, learn about recent happenings at the federal level and within the states. Hear how these changes may/will impact your schools and what you can do to help.

This session provides school administrators and financial aid officers with a comprehensive overview of key financial oversight topics, including top audit findings and how to minimize your exposure to these on an ongoing basis. We’ll also highlight financial responsibility standards critical to the financial aid teams, and new federal audit requirements on the horizon.

Jessica High to speak on using AI at your school from a legal perspective.

Tom Netting to speak on updates from Washington.

This session will review the latest outcomes from ED's ongoing AHEAD rulemaking process, explain how they impact program eligibility requirements in the new Gainful Employment regulation and the new Accountability Measure established in the One Big Beautiful Bill and outline the likely standards that educational programs will need to meet in order to retain eligibility for federal student loans and grants.  

A 360-Degree View of Administrative Capability, Institutional Integrity, and Campus Safety

Data incidents rarely arrive neatly labeled—and for financial aid and school operations teams, the first 24 hours determine whether response is coordinated or chaotic. In this interactive tabletop, we’ll walk through a realistic breach scenario involving a ransomware event with potential data exposure through vendor-connected systems. Participants will practice making time-sensitive decisions with incomplete information: containment and evidence preservation, vendor escalation and fact-gathering, controlled continuity of critical processes, and notification triage. Attendees will leave with practical, reusable tools, including a First 60 Minutes/First 24 Hours checklist, a vendor incident escalation script, and a notification triage worksheet they can adapt for their institution.