Announcing the Official Winners of the 2025 ACHE Board Election

We are pleased to officially announce the results of the 2025 ACHE Board of Directors Election. We extend our sincere appreciation to all who participated in the voting process.

Brandi Huskey, Interim Director of Off-Campus Operations at East Tennessee State University, has been elected to serve as Vice President. Elected to serve as Directors-at-Large are David Rausch, Associate Dean and Professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; Dianna Rust, Professor at Middle Tennessee State University; and Steven Frye, Professor and Director of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Tennessee Tech University. In addition, Sherry Blok will complete the remainder of Brandi Huskey’s term on the ACHE Board of Directors.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all the candidates and members who participated in this year’s election. Your engagement and commitment continue to shape the future of continuing higher education. Please join us in congratulating our new Board members!

July 23

"Integrating AI in Higher Education"

Presented by Dr. Mike Breakey, University of Tennessee Chattanooga

Engagement of learners in an online degree program can be a challenge. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Bachelor of Applied Science; Applied Leadership program is designed for contemporary learners. These learners bring unique needs to the program. Addressing these needs means creating a balance between engaging these learners, who often are working full-time jobs, in a way that is both meaningful and works with their busy schedules. Engagement is a focus of the program as we work to retain students and help them successfully navigate the path to a college degree. Using data-informed methods, we continue to adjust the ways we interact with learners to enhance their experiences in our program. Data collection and analysis allow us to assess strengths and weaknesses of the program and move our focus to areas that will have positive impacts on student success. One of the areas showing great promise is instructor presence supporting engagement in an online program.

Moderated by Dr. Jonell Hinsey, Middle Tennesse State University

July 30

"Reimagining Partnerships: How Collaboration with Internal and External Partners Struck Gold"

Presented by Chloe Maday, CSU Chico

The US educational system is facing many problems due to teacher overwork, stress, and attrition leading to a significant teacher shortage. The California Teacher Association (CTA) offers teachers help to become more successful. In 2021, the CTA partnered with California State University, Chico to screen and register teachers for free professional development units, leading to teacher pay increases and career advancement opportunities. The program has experienced explosive growth, from 1,300 teacher requests for units in 2021 to more than 30,000 requests in 2023. Over the two-year period, nearly 1,000,000 professional development hours have been applied towards credit, at no cost to teachers for up to 12 units a year. Supporting this partnership requires the cooperation and collaboration of other campus departments, including the Office of the Registrar that produces transcripts for these units. In this session, PCE program coordinators will talk about strategies for building and maintaining strong partnerships under pressure and how trust and a commitment to frequent and strong communications across campus led to the selection as winner of the 2023 CTA State Gold Award, presented to PCE in June of 2024.

Moderated by Mark Murphy, Middle Tennesse State University

August 6

"Creating a Culture of Competency-Based Education on Your Campus"

Presented by Dr. Kenneth Trzaska, President of Louis and Clark Community College

This session is focused on the vison at Lewis and Clark Community College to build a competency-based education teaching and learning culture. A particular focus centers on efforts and strides made with faculty with highlights of our Teaching and Engagement Model (TEM) which offers unique ways to compensate and support faculty work around CBE and outside the classroom. In addition, Dr. Trzaska will speak about the CBE Mover team and their team’s recent strides to develop two CBE program pathways and a CBE General Education Bundle to provide additional layers of flexibility for students to navigate their general education electives.  

Moderated by Dr. Janine Guerra, Drexel University 

Join us in honoring outstanding individuals and programs that are making a difference in the field of continuing higher education. Nominations for ACHE's annual awards are now open and will be presented at the 87th Annual ACHE Conference, taking place October 13–15, 2025, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

• Leadership

This award is the highest award presented by ACHE and recognizes an individual who has made extraordinary contributions in leadership, theory, and practice in continuing higher education on a national or international level.

• Meritorious Service

This award recognizes individuals for their outstanding leadership, performance, and service to continuing higher education at their own institution and within the Association for a minimum of 5 years.

• Emeritus

This award provides recognition to Association members upon their official retirements from their major continuing education roles at their institutions.

• Rising Star

This award recognizes individuals with 5 years or less experience in continuing education who have either developed (or contributed to the development of) or extended an outstanding program or division within a CE unit.

Program Award Categories

• Distinguished Program – Credit and Non-Credit

This award recognizes programs that demonstrate exceptional originality, innovation, and success, with separate awards for credit and non-credit programs.

• Creative Use of Technology

This award recognizes ACHE members for their innovative uses of instructional and distance learning technologies in lifelong learning. Both credit and non-credit programs are eligible for nomination.

• Older Adult Model Program Award

This award recognizes an ACHE member for a program or activity that provides outstanding learning opportunities and/or service to an older adult population.

• Outstanding Services to Underserved Populations

This award recognizes ACHE members for their innovative lifelong learning programs that demonstrate outstanding service to underserved populations. Both credit and non-credit programs are eligible for nomination.

Marketing Award Categories

• Crystal Marketing Award

The Crystal Marketing Award recognizes the ACHE institution that achieves significant results from a marketing communications tool through a print, broadcast or electronic medium.

Grants & Scholarships

• Alex Charters Research Grant

The purpose of the Alex Charters Research Grant is to promote the development and dissemination of new knowledge, theories, and practices in adult and continuing education. One grant in the amount of $1,500 may be awarded.

• Wayne Whelan Scholarship

The Wayne Whelan Scholarship is awarded to an ACHE member who has held membership in ACHE for at least one year immediately preceding application and who is engaged in graduate studies on either a full-time or part-time basis. One scholarship in the amount of $1,000 may be awarded.

Nominations are due by Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

The countdown is on—Early Bird registration for ACHE 2025 ends Friday, July 26. Join continuing education leaders from across the country in Milwaukee, October 13–15, for a dynamic conference exploring the theme Bridges to Empathy, Empowerment & Innovation. This is your opportunity to connect with peers, gain actionable insights, and engage with forward-thinking strategies that advance the field of adult and continuing education. Don’t miss the chance to secure the best rate—register today and be part of the movement shaping the future of higher education.

If you're unable to see the member early bird rates, here are a few things to check:

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• Early bird member pricing is exclusive to signed‑in members. Make sure you're logged in at acheinc.org.
• If you were redirected to a generic registration page, log out and then log back in.

2. Early Bird Deadline

• Confirm the registration window is still open: early bird pricing ends July 25.
• If today is past the cutoff date, the early bird rates will no longer appear.

3. Membership Status

• Log into your Member Compass™ and confirm your membership is current and active, not expired or lapsed.
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The 87th Annual ACHE Conference (2025) Schedule is here—and it's packed with transformative keynotes, hands-on breakout sessions, and dynamic networking opportunities. From cutting-edge conversations on AI and equity to real-world strategies in student mental health and community partnerships, every session is designed to spark innovation and empower your work in continuing higher education. Start planning your experience today—this is one schedule you won’t want to miss!

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