2026 Foundation Leadership Forum: Schedule

Browse the Forum schedule below. Please check back for updates as we continue to finalize programming. As you plan your travel, we encourage you to arrive in time to participate in workshops and peer group meetings during the afternoon of Sunday, February 1, 2025, and stay through Tuesday afternoon to take advantage of one of the deep-dive workshops taking place 12:30–3:00 PM PT on Tuesday, February 3.

*All times local

Consistently cited as one of the most valuable sessions of the Forum, this workshop addresses the unique roles and responsibilities of foundation board chairs and discuss current trends and priorities affecting boards. Explore strategies for fostering effective board leadership, forging an effective partnership with the foundation chief executive, succession planning and onboarding of board members, troubleshooting common board challenges, and elevating the work of the board and committees.

(This session is intended for foundation board chairs, vice chairs, and chairs-elect.)

Facilitators:
Jim Lanier, senior fellow and consultant, AGB
George Watt, senior fellow and consultant, AGB

New foundation CEOs face unique challenges in a rapidly changing higher education landscape. This session will offer guidance for building strong partnerships with your board, president, and other stakeholders, clarifying shared priorities and fostering strategic alignment, and troubleshooting the inevitable challenges presented by leadership transitions. Seasoned foundation CEOs will share questions to ask, conversations to prioritize, and strategies to foster resilience and trust during your first year and beyond, and will provide candid feedback on participant questions. The workshop will also afford a great opportunity to get to know new colleagues at similar points in their careers.

Facilitator:
Leonard Raley, senior consultant, AGB

Assuming a foundation CEO role for the first time presents unique challenges. First-time CEOs need to navigate solid or dotted line relationships with an institution president and a foundation board while overseeing functions that may encompass fundraising, alumni relations, endowment management, HR, IT, accounting, real estate, and entrepreneurial ventures . Add in the complexities of donor relations, athletics, and a rapidly evolving regulatory climate compound the challenges. This workshop will help future foundation leaders prepare for the next stage in their careers and navigate the search and succession processes.

(This session is intended for senior foundation staff below the level of chief executive who aspire to become a foundation CEO.)

Facilitator:
Greg Willems, president and CEO, Kansas State University Foundation; senior consultant, AGB

Public college and university foundations may fulfill a wide range of functions and be structured very differently from institution to institution and state to state, but common principles of trusteeship apply. This workshop will provide an overview of different foundation operating and governance models, discussion of the core responsibilities of foundation board members, and guidance on not only fulfilling fiduciary duties as a foundation board member but becoming an engaged strategic partner and philanthropic leader in support of your foundation and the institution it supports.

Facilitators:
Mike Goodwin, consultant, AGB
Merrill Schwartz, senior consultant and senior fellow, AGB

Colleges and universities will likely be subject to increasing financial stress. Demographic-driven declines in enrollment, loss of revenue from international students, cuts to federal grant funding, changes to federal student financial aid, and broader economic conditions may all lead to growing revenue gaps. While institutions may be looking to their endowments to offset budget gaps, endowment values may suffer if markets cool. Maintaining a focus on fiduciary fundamentals and adhering to principles of good governance and trusteeship will be critical for boards and investment committees.

This half-day workshop will address:

• The ways higher education endowments differ from other types of investments and the fiduciary and other standards applicable to the staff and board members responsible for endowment oversight.
• Different management structures (committee and consultants, in-house investment office, outsourced chief investment officer).
• The role of the investment committee and the responsibilities of committee chairs, members, and staff.
• The investment policy statement.
• Alignment of investment strategy with the institution’s mission, needs, and priorities.
• Best practices for high-performing investment committees and successful endowment management.

Who should attend?

• Board members of colleges, universities, and institutionally related foundations
• College and university presidents, chief financial officers, and other senior administrators who are responsible for the oversight of the endowment or support the work of investment committees
• CEOs and other senior staff of public college and university foundations who work with investment committees
• Prospective institutional presidents or foundation CEOs who want to develop their understanding of endowment management

Speakers:
John Griswold, senior consultant, AGB
Nikki Kraus, chief executive officer, Strategic Investment Group
Kathryn E. Mawer, managing director, FEG Investment Advisors

Participation is complimentary and requires separate registration, click here to learn more.

First-time Forum attendees are invited to join this session and learn how to make the most of their conference experience and the other services and resources available to AGB member foundations. The session will include:

• An overview of the evolving foundation landscape.
• A preview of the 2026 conference program, highlighting sessions that may be of particular value for first-time attendees.
• A discussion about how to make the most of Forum content and networking opportunities.
• An overview of AGB member services and resources to enhance board leadership and foundation effectiveness.

Foundation boards serve as stewards of assets intended to support their institutions in perpetuity, but higher education is entering a period of accelerating change driven by demographics, artificial intelligence, ideological and cultural fissures, fiscal pressures, and a shifting geopolitical landscape. What will higher education look like in 2050? And how can foundations support their institutions as they adapt and evolve? To help look beyond the now to the next, futurist Bryan Alexander will share his perspectives on the major forces that will shape higher education and the ways that colleges and universities may change in the next quarter century.

Facilitator:
Shane Jacobson, CEO, American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; member, AGB Board of Directors

Speaker:
Bryan Alexander, senior scholar, Learning, Design & Technology Program, Georgetown University

There have always been debates about the purposes of higher education and the best ways for colleges and universities to advance both student success and the public good. Today, however, institutions are facing challenges to long-standing governance principles that have helped to make U.S. higher education the global gold standard. This session will address challenges to board autonomy and academic freedom and explore the imperative of fiduciary independence and mission alignment for foundations while they maintain operational and strategic alignment with their partner institutions.

Facilitator:
David Bass, vice president, program and strategy development, AGB

Panelists:
Janine Bowen, nominating & governance committee chair, Georgia State University Foundation; prior member, Clemson University Board of Visitors
Trishana Bowden, vice president of advancement, George Mason University; president, George Mason University Foundation
Michael Gavin, president, Delta College; founder, Education for All

The best of times. The worst of times. Both call for bold action by boards and present opportunities to transform and strengthen governance. Whether responding to institutional crises or managing the momentum of rapid growth, these boards found opportunity in navigating disruption, adapting governance, embracing new roles as strategic partners to their institutions, and elevating their philanthropic leadership. Walk away with lessons you can apply to your own leadership moment, whatever shape it takes.

In mid-2025, U.S. stocks hit record highs, but some of the nation’s richest institutions are cutting budgets and laying off staff. The headlines are anything but clear, but foundations will likely be facing ramped up pressure to spend and may find donors more cautious than usual. In this session, leading economic and investment experts will offer their perspectives on the year ahead, unpack the forces shaping global markets, and explore the investment questions that should be top of mind for boards and investment committees managing long-term portfolios in volatile times.

Facilitator:
Sharcus Steen, chief investment officer, University System of Maryland Foundation

Panelists:
Matt Banks, co-chief investment officer, GEM
Julia Mord, chief investment officer, Commonfund OCIO
Amita Schultes, partner, Cerity Partners

The year 2025 was turbulent for higher education, with the near elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, sweeping regulatory changes, dramatic cuts in federal funding, the ongoing transformation of collegiate athletics, and a landmark budget reconciliation bill. Looking ahead, it’s a safe bet that most institutions will be dealing with some combination of revenue shortfalls, changing compliance regimes, unanticipated leadership transitions, and conflicting stakeholder interests. This session will bring together a panel of seasoned board leaders for a discussion on how they plan for the unpredictable, mitigate potential risk, and position their foundations to be a source of stability and continuity in support of abiding institutional purposes.

Facilitator:
Cynthia “Cindi” Roth, president and CEO, West Virginia University Foundation

Panelists:
J. Wayne Richards, chair, West Virginia University Foundation Board of Directors
Patrice Harris, member, West Virginia University Board of Governors, and prior member, West Virginia University Foundation Board of Directors

Public colleges and universities have become more reliant on the private support provided by foundations, and enrollment challenges, rollbacks in federal support, and changes in state funding could increase the need for foundation support. Boards should be asking about the ability of their foundation business models to sustain vital work in the event that investment values fall and philanthropic giving declines. They should also be asking if their business models support the growth in private support that their partner institutions will need going forward. This workshop will provide an overview of foundation finance and business models, common funding sources, practices to manage financial risk, and guidance on developing a game plan to not only sustain but grow the resources needed to advance the mission and vision of public institutions and the students they serve.

Private support is becoming increasingly important for colleges’ ability to innovate, provide access, and support inclusive student success, and an engaged foundation board, working in strategic alignment with college leaders, is critical to positioning a college for major gifts. This workshop will address the key elements of a robust college-foundation partnership to grow philanthropy and practices to help build and develop a foundation board equipped to provide transformative philanthropic leadership.

Hosted by AGB in collaboration with the Network of California Community College Foundations (NCCCF), the workshop  will bring together board members and executive staff of California community colleges and affiliated foundations along with community college leaders. The program will include presentations and discussion from 1:30 to 4:00 PM, followed by a networking reception from 4:00 to 5:00 PM.

Topics to be explored include:

• Practices to foster college-foundation alignment and collaboration.
• Governance tools to elevate the work of the foundation board.
• Strategies to identify and develop philanthropic opportunities.

Participation is complimentary and requires separate registration, click here to learn more.