The Illinois Education and Career Success Network’s 13th annual conference is designed for a diverse group of stakeholders committed to enhancing equitable postsecondary attainment across Illinois. The conference serves as an engaging learning opportunity where attendees collaborate to share best practices, explore innovative strategies, and discuss systemic challenges affecting students, particularly those from marginalized communities. Participants can expect a dynamic environment that fosters networking, knowledge exchange, and actionable insights aimed at driving systemic change to support student success throughout Illinois. Explore recordings, photos, and resources from past conferences.
Early bird pricing is available now through December 31, 2025, or until the first 150 tickets are sold — whichever comes first.
Dr. Strohl was one of the founding staff of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) and has served as director of research since 2008. He leads the center’s research agenda, focused on the intersection of education and labor market analyses and their impact on policy. Dr. Strohl also researches biases in postsecondary and labor market outcomes.
Previously, Dr. Strohl was a senior analyst and project director at Westat, Inc., and was primarily involved in program evaluation and analysis of education outcomes. He helped design and direct several projects that investigated socioeconomic diversity in American education and sought to affect postsecondary admissions policies. Dr. Strohl received his BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his MA and PhD in economics from American University. His dissertation was a cross-country study of how education can enhance overall economic flexibility in times of economic crisis and structural shift.
Additional sessions and descriptions are coming soon.
8:00–9:00 a.m. | Breakfast & Networking
9:00–10:15 a.m. | Welcome & Opening Plenary
The Future of Work: Navigating the Next Decade of Jobs, Skills, and Opportunity
with keynote speaker Jeff Strohl, PhD, Research Professor & Director, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
10:25–11:20 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions
11:30 a.m.–12:25 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions
12:35–2:00 p.m. | Lunch & Student Voices
2:15–3:10 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions
3:20–4:15 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions
Yes, professional development and continuing education hours are available. Attendees must complete the digital evaluation available at the end of the conference to earn their hours. The credits are administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
We do not have a conference hotel room block. However, Moraine Valley Community College recommends the following hotels:
Free parking is available on site.
No, atteendees must register in advance. Registration will close on February 24, 2026, at 12 p.m.
We understand that some organizations require purchase orders and payment by check. While we encourage registration through Eventbrite to take advantage of early bird pricing and streamlined processing, we can accommodate alternative payment arrangements when necessary.
If your organization requires an invoice and check payment, please contact us at connect@ilsuccessnetwork.org with your registration details. Note that registrations paid by check are subject to standard pricing (early bird discounts do not apply) and will include a processing fee to cover administrative costs.
For the fastest registration and best pricing, we recommend paying via credit card.
Early bird pricing is available through December 31, 2025, or until the first 150 tickets are sold — whichever comes first. Group discounts are not available.
Speakers are eligible for a discount and should reference the speaker guide, shared by their point person via email, for details.