Day One Registration: Networking 

Welcome to Washington, DC: Introductions 

Juliana Araujo, President, iiBIG, Inc. – Alexandria, VA 

Keynote Speaker: Mark Kantrowitz, President, Cerebly – Skokie, IL

From Disruption to Design: Rebuilding Student Lending in the Age of AI

Opening Keynote Panel: State of the Public & Private Education Finance Industry in 2026 & Beyond Education Finance Thought Leaders address key issues from ’30 thousand feet’

Moderator:

Dubravka Ritter, Special Advisor, Higher Education Finance, Consumer Finance Institute, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Panelists: 

• Jordan Wicker, Senior Vice President of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) 
• Scott Buchanan, Executive Director, Student Loan Servicing Alliance – Washington, D.C 
• Scott Fleming, Executive Director, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) – Arlington, VA 
• Sara Parrish, President, Campus Door – Sara Parrish, President, Campus Door – Mechanicsburg, PA

Higher Education Regulatory & Legislative Roundtable 

Panel: Policy, Regulation & Governance: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the New Federal Order  

Moderator: 

Eric Hurwitz, Co-Chair, Financial Services Litigation, Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young, LLP – Philadelphia, PA

Panelists: 

• Manu Smadja, CEO, MPOWER Financing, Washington, D.C (manu@mpowerfinancing.com) Andrew Gillen, Research Fellow, Cato Institute
• Melanie Storey, CEO, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
• Al Dorsett, Director of Student Financial Assitance, Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC)

A.M. NETWORKING BREAK 

Private Student Lending Roundtable Part 1 – Origination: The Road Ahead 

Seizing the Market Shift: Next-Gen Strategies for Private Loan Origination 

Moderator: 

Robert Humann, CEO, Credible – Charlotte, NC

Panelists: 

• Sara Parrish, President, Campus Door –Mechanicsburg, PA (Confirmed)
• Keith Shoates, President & CEO, Student Freedom Initiative – Washington, D.C
• Crystal DeLong, Student Lending National Sales Manager, Citizens Bank – Westwood, MA

LUNCHEON FOR CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS

Private Student Lending Roundtable Part 2 – Refinancing & Repayment: The New Frontier 

Navigating RAP: Unlocking Strategic Opportunities in Borrower Repayment and Refinancing” 

Moderator: 

Jack Wallace, Director, Yrefy – Phoenix, AZ

Panelists: 

• Rob Tetreault, Director of Compliance, Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) – Warwick, RI
• Josh Rowe-Heupler, Credible – Charlotte, NC
• Betsy Mayote, President, The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA)

Higher Education Capital Markets & New Finance Roundtable: 

The End of Grad PLUS and the Rise of Private & Hybrid Finance 

Moderator: 

Henry Howard, President & CEO, U. S. Education Finance Group – Miami, FL  

Panelists: 

• Sharon Gold, Head of Capital Markets, College Ave Student Loans – Wilmington, DE
• Kayvan Darouian, Director, Deutsche Bank – New York, NY
• Todd Forgione, Managing Director, Cantor Fitzgerald – New York, NY
• Melvin Zhou, Managing Director, Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) – New York, NY

Colleges & Universities Fireside: 

Higher Education at a Crossroads: Rethinking Tuition, Aid & Enrollment Strategy  

Moderator: 

Andrew Gillen, Research Fellow, Cato Institute

Panelists: 

• Dr. Michael Eric Wooten, Board of Directors, Virginia Community Colleges System
• Kim Cook, CEO, National College Attainment Network

PM NETWORKING BREAK 

Income Share Agreements & Outcomes-Based Finance Roundtable 

Student Finance 2.0: Innovation Beyond Traditional Loans  

Moderator: 

Jordan Wicker, SVP, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU)

Panelists: 

• Leslie Cornell, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Social Finance (SoFi)
• Dan Rubin, Founder & CEO, Yelo (confirmed JA)
• Kevin James, Founder and CEO, Better Future Forward

Student Counseling, Financial Literacy & Borrower Support Roundtable 

Preparing the Next Generation of Borrowers: Financial Literacy, Counseling & Student Success 

Strengthening Student Guidance in a Changing Loan System 

Closing presentation: Betsy Mayote, President, The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) 

EVENING NETWORK RECEPTION

Day One Registration: Networking 

Welcome to Day Two

Juliana Araujo, President, iiBIG, Inc. – Alexandria, VA

Opening Keynote Address: 

Dubravka Ritter, Special Advisor, Higher Education Finance, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA

EdTech/FinTech/AI Innovators Roundtable: 

The Digital Future of Student Lending: AI, Data & FinTech Innovation How technology is transforming underwriting, compliance, servicing, and borrower engagement across the student finance ecosystem 

Moderator: 

Mark Kantrowitz, President, Cerebly – Skokie, IL

Panelists: 

• Sean McTighe, Executive Director, National Student Clearinghouse  
• David Kafafian, COO
• Tim Kulesha, CEO, RevlTek – Galveston, TX
• John Backiel, CEO, Stratofied, Inc – Miami Beach, FL

Student Loan Servicing & Collections Roundtable 

The Return to Repayment: Student Loan Servicing, Risk & Borrower Accountability. Operational, regulatory, and portfolio management strategies in the new repayment environment Restart of collections and wage garnishment 

Moderator: 

Scott Buchanan, Executive Director, Student Loan Servicing Alliance – Washington, D.C.

Panelists: 

• Denise Cross, Director Collections & Servicing, Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions – Alpharetta, GA
• Jae Heinberg, Co-Founder, Axiom Acquisition Ventures, LLC – Tampa, FL
• Brian Cox, VP Business Development, Goal Solutions – San Diego, CA

A.M. NETWORKING BREAK 

Non-Profit & State-Based Higher Education Finance Roundtable: 

The role of nonprofit and state-based higher education finance organizations 

Unmet Need in a Changing Student Loan Market 

Moderator: 

Gail daMota, President, Education Finance Council 

Panelists: 

• Ray Jones, Chief Product Officer, South Carolina Student Loan Corporation 
• Julie Shields-Rutyna, Associate Director of College Planning, Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority 
• Greg O’Coyne, VP of Enrollment and Financial Strategy, Midwestern University. 

CLOSING REMARKS – CONFERENCE CONCLUDES

An iiBIG Thanks to our Executive Faculties, Attendees & Sponsor Partners for over 17 years of Thought-Leadership in the Education Finance & Student Loan Marketplace