COMMUNITY exchange
Keynote speaker

The DELTA Strategy: Navigating the Next Decade of Digital Transformation and AI

CommEX26 Keynote: Tuesday, April 14, 10:30 a.m.

As colleges and universities discern whether and how to incorporate AI into education, and when to proscribe its use, the pressures their administrators face are undeniable. Disruption to the job market has already begun. Entire career categories are at risk of contracting or going extinct altogether. Add to that the volatile federal funding environment, ballooning operating costs, a facilities arms race to entice an increasingly demanding applicant pool, and the insatiable specter of NIL.

No wonder higher ed institutions are preoccupied with demonstrating the instrumental value of their offerings: their literal ROI. It’s risky business. If only there were some timeless principles that have withstood the ebbs and flows of political, fiscal, and cultural upheaval across the centuries. Oh wait, these do, in fact, exist!

As the keynote speaker for CommEX26, Adam Kronk will share the DELTA (dignity, embodiment, love, transcendence, and agency) framework he and the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good at the University of Notre Dame are using as the central concept for a large-scale, five-year project on human flourishing in the age of powerful AI. You'll walk away challenged, hopeful, and with a few practical insights on how to help your team "get it right."

Kronk leads research and external engagement for the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good at the University of Notre Dame. His career centers on the dignity of the human person, with previous leadership roles at Lippert, La Lumiere School, and the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership. A "double Domer" with a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University, Kronk focuses on how organizations operationalize values and foster character.

Opening Keynote Details

Speaker: Adam Kronk
Topic: Navigating the Next Decade of Digital Transformation and AI
Keynote: Tuesday, April 14, 10:30 a.m.
Where: Chicago Marriott

Registration for CommEX26, including Kronk's keynote, is open!

Tripti Sinha, Internet2 President and CEO, to Give Opening Remarks

Tripti Sinha, who became president and CEO of Internet2 in October 2025, will open CommEX26 at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14, with remarks on Internet2’s 30-year milestone and her vision for the organization’s next chapter.

The Fiber of Connection: Internet2’s Three Decades of Networked Creativity and Community Building

CommEX26 Plenary: Wednesday, April 15. 8:30 a.m.

Domenico Vicinanza, senior research engagement manager at GÉANT, music composer, and associate professor at Anglia Ruskin University, will deliver the plenary on April 15, “The Fiber of Connection: Internet2’s Three Decades of Networked Creativity and Community Building.”

Vicinanza's talk will explore how Internet2's founding vision for including Arts & Humanities -- with Ann Doyle's leadership -- catalyzed new forms of global artistic collaboration and a long-standing cultural partnership between GÉANT and Internet2.

From early telematic music experiments to today's immersive, multi-site performances spanning continents, high-performance networking has enabled shared experiences across cultures and disciplines.

Vicinanza’s work transforming scientific data into music and multimedia experiences has been featured by NPR, BBC, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Guardian.

Plenary Details

Speakers:
 

• Domenico Vicinanza, GÉANT
• Ann Doyle, Internet2

Topic: Internet2’s Three Decades of Networked Creativity and Community Building
Plenary: Wednesday, April 15. 8:30 a.m.
Where: Chicago Marriott

Registration for CommEX26, including Vicinanza's plenary, is open!

Stronger Together: Shared Services as a Strategic Multiplier in Research and Education

CommEX26 Plenary: Thursday, April 16. 8:30 a.m.

Stronger Together Plenary Details

Speakers:

• Leah Lang: Senior Director, Partnerships and Corporate Engagement, EDUCAUSE
• Jennifer March-Wackers: Executive Director, The Inter-University Council of Ohio (IUC), Purchasing Group & Staff Lead, IUC Collaborative Initiatives
• Sean O’Brien: AVP for NET+, Internet2
• Natalie Palmer: Vice President, Southern Crossroads (SoX)

Topic: Shared Services as a Strategic Multiplier in Research and Education
Plenary: Thursday, April 16. 8:30 a.m.
Where: Chicago Marriott

Registration for CommEX26, including the Stronger Together plenary, is open!

As the research and higher education community navigates mounting budget pressures and growing complexity across technology and research environments, shared services are gaining renewed attention as both a practical and strategic imperative. Even for large, well-resourced universities, the challenges of today — from evolving cybersecurity threats to the pace of AI adoption — are outpacing what any single institution can address on its own.

This plenary session has a dual purpose. First, it will surface and celebrate shared services already available to the R&E community today — bringing greater visibility to established capabilities institutions can leverage immediately across areas such as cloud, cybersecurity, research infrastructure, and administrative operations. Second, it will convene a panel of community leaders to explore what comes next: identifying emerging opportunities to expand shared models, eliminate duplicative investments, and collectively address challenges that no institution should have to solve in isolation.

Through forward-looking discussion, panelists will examine how shared services amplify institutional expertise — enabling teams across universities to collaborate on common problems, pool specialized knowledge, and deliver outcomes that exceed what any one institution could achieve independently. Topics will include new domains for collaboration, funding and governance considerations, and how to align shared services with institutional priorities in an era of constraint.