Annual Conference 2026

From Access to Impact: Education as the Engine of Economic Mobility, challenges us to move beyond opening doors and focus on what happens next: persistence, completion, career readiness, and long-term economic mobility. In a rapidly shifting policy and higher education landscape, this conference equips you with the knowledge, strategies, and professional network needed to lead with confidence and purpose. Across four dynamic days in San Diego, participants will engage in powerful conversations, practical professional development, and forward-looking sessions designed to ignite new ideas and strengthen program impact. Through evidence-based best practices, expert-led discussions, and collaborative learning, attendees will gain actionable tools that can be implemented immediately to elevate student outcomes and advance institutional goals.

Hotel information

Hilton San Diego Bayfront

1 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

Rates are $279 for s/d + taxes

Room block is open until September 1, 2026 or the room block is filled.

Make reservations at here or call 1-800-Hiltons, group code COE.  

Refund Policy

Please note that registration fees are refundable minus a processing charge of $350 for general conference registration and $50 for the pre-conference sessions. If a written cancellation notice is received on or before Monday, August 10, 2026, refunds will be remitted via the original payment method after the conference. No refund requests will be accepted after this date. If you have additional questions, please contact COE Business and Finance at [email protected] or (202) 347-7430.
When
9/16/2026 7:00 AM - 9/19/2026 12:30 PM
Pacific Daylight Time
Where
Hilton San Diego Bayfront San Diego, CA

Program

Wednesday, 16 September 2026

Description
Full STEAM Ahead: Powering Access and Innovation
Join other college access and success professionals for an immersive one-day STEAM professional development experience in San Diego designed to spark creativity and innovation in education. Participants will explore the intersection of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics through hands-on activities and behind-the-scenes tours. Highlights tentatively include discovering the math and design principles at the Globe Theatre, riding on the San Diego Trolley to examine real-world applications of physics and geometry and engaging with cutting-edge robotics and supercomputing at UC San Diego. The day may also include a visit to the Maritime Museum, where participants will dive into the engineering and physics of naval design. This unique program emphasizes equitable access to STEAM learning and provides practical strategies for integrating these concepts into classrooms. Educators will leave inspired, equipped with new ideas, and ready to propel students toward future learning opportunities.
Category
Annual Conference
Time
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
9/16/2026 8:00 AM
See San Diego: Best Practices in Student Travel for TRIO Programs

This interactive pre-conference experience is designed for TRIO professionals who plan, manage, or supervise student travel and want to strengthen their practices while navigating compliance, safety, logistics, and student development outcomes. See San Diego combines an immersive, guided city tour with a structured professional learning experience focused on best practices in student travel for TRIO programs. Participants will engage in a guided tour of San Diego that models how to intentionally design educational travel experiences—balancing enrichment, cultural exposure, risk management, accessibility, and cost control. Throughout the tour, facilitators will highlight real-time decision-making, documentation considerations, supervision strategies, and ways to connect travel activities to TRIO objectives such as college exposure, career exploration, leadership development, and cultural capital. The learning continues beyond the conference with a follow-up virtual session that allows participants to debrief, reflect, and translate the experience into actionable strategies for their own programs. This session will focus on lessons learned, scalable travel models, compliance considerations, budgeting strategies, staff roles, and tools that support safe, equitable, and impactful student travel.

Participants will leave with: 

  • Practical strategies for planning and executing compliant TRIO student travel
  • Ideas for integrating travel into academic, career, and leadership outcomes
  • Risk management and supervision best practices
  • Tools and takeaways that can be adapted to programs of all sizes

Participants will enjoy a guided tour of San Diego visiting iconic landmarks and hidden gems, with insights from experts in TRIO programming and tourism. This hands-on experience will offer real-world examples, itineraries, and strategies to integrate local culture into student trips.  Whether planning a trip to San Diego or elsewhere, you’ll leave equipped to create transformative journeys your students will never forget!
Category
Annual Conference
Time
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
9/16/2026 8:00 AM
State Leaders Caucus: Stronger Together
This half-day preconference convenes TRIO State/Chapter Association Leaders for an empowering and deeply connected space to reunite after one of the most demanding years in TRIO’s history. Any current member of the State Association board may register. Beginning over breakfast and shared conversation, leaders will come together in recognition of the collective effort it took to protect our programs, our funding, and our students in the face of unprecedented challenges. This caucus offers space to reflect on the weight of that work, while also celebrating the resilience, persistence, and resolve that carried the TRIO community forward. As the morning unfolds, the focus shifts toward renewed alignment, strengthened relationships, structural preparedness, and the power that emerges when state leaders move forward together with clarity and purpose. Participants will leave reenergized, reaffirmed in their commitment to service, and prepared to lead with confidence on behalf of the TRIO programs and students they serve.
Category
Annual Conference
Time
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
9/16/2026 8:00 AM
Evaluation 101: A Step-by-Step Guide for Program Evaluation
Embark on a journey in this half-day seminar tailored to empower TRIO professionals to master program evaluation. Participants will receive the Pell Institute’s cutting-edge Toolkit for Equitable Evaluation, which includes practical tips, interactive worksheets, and comprehensive guides to inform and elevate your evaluation process. The seminar will provide an overview of the essential steps of program evaluation, from crafting a robust plan to collecting and analyzing data and ultimately leveraging that data to communicate and advocate for program improvements. A direct focus of the session will be on developing an evaluation plan that you can take back to your programs. Whether you’re attending solo or as part of a team, seize the opportunity to sculpt an evaluation plan that transcends standard reporting obligations, prioritizes program enhancement and tangible student outcomes bey ond the annual performance report (APR).
Category
Annual Conference
Time
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
9/16/2026 1:00 PM
Reimagining Upward Bound: An Innovation Forum for Design, Data, and Student Outcomes
This practitioner-led Innovation Forum invites Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math & Science teams into an energizing, restorative creative space to reimagine what is possible for their programs and their students. Through immersive and collaborative activities, participants will explore innovative approaches to program design that respond to current federal priorities and evolving labor and education dynamics—without losing sight of UB/UBMS’s core mission. Building on lessons learned from recent competitions and guidance, this session connects regulatory context to practical, on-the-ground decision-making. Participants will strengthen their ability to use evaluation not only for accountability, but as a tool for continuous improvement, storytelling, and maximizing student outcomes. Designed for all levels of practitioners this is a not-to-miss preconference experience for UB and UBMS staff ready to innovate with intention and lead with impact.
Category
Annual Conference
Time
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
9/16/2026 1:00 PM
Using Federal Data to Power TRIO Program Success

TRIO programs thrive on evidence. Strong data fuels smarter service design and produces powerful impacts on student success. Yet some of the most valuable federal data resources—produced by agencies like the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, and Bureau of Labor Statistics—remain untapped resources by those who could best put them to transformative use.

This dynamic, hands-on half-day workshop equips TRIO professionals and institutional researchers with practical skills to unlock the power of federal data. Participants will explore essential tools from the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics—learning not just where to find data, but how to interpret and apply it with confidence.

Through guided demonstrations and TRIO-focused examples, attendees will actively build skills to analyze student demographics, financial aid trends, educational outcomes, and labor market conditions. By the end of the session, participants will be ready to leverage federal data for strategic planning, rigorous assessment, and meaningful benchmarking.

Turn federal data into a strategic advantage for your TRIO program.
Category
Annual Conference
Time
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
9/16/2026 1:00 PM

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