Welcome and Kick Off

Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education

Education Market Deep Dive: Data-Driven Insights & Trends

Education leaders are entering 2026 under continued budget pressure, heightened scrutiny of technology ROI, and growing expectations around security, data, and AI.

Joe Morris returns with his signature, data-driven briefing on the forces reshaping the education landscape. Drawing on national spending data, enrollment patterns, policy signals, and institutional priorities, Joe examines the cross-sector trends influencing K-12 and higher education and the implications leaders should be planning for in 2026.

Joe Morris, Chief Innovation Officer, e.Republic

K-12 Technology Decisions for 2026: What Districts Are Buying, Replacing, or Cutting

K-12 districts are making tough technology choices as they balance cybersecurity risks, AI experimentation, aging infrastructure, and constrained funding. In this candid discussion, district technology leaders will walk through how K-12 buying decisions are actually made today—from priority setting and vendor evaluation to implementation and renewal. Panelists will discuss the core systems and platforms under active review, where districts are standardizing or consolidating vendors, and what causes purchases to stall or fail. The conversation will focus squarely on technology categories, procurement realities, and practical decision-making, offering vendors an unfiltered look at how districts assess value in 2026.

Moderator: Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education

Michael Martirano, MD, Superintendent, Allegheny County

Andy Sykes, Chief Technology Officer, Clayton County Public Schools, GA

Jennifer Womble, Conference Chair, FETC

Higher Education Technology Decisions for 2026: Platforms, Priorities, and Tradeoffs

Higher education institutions are under pressure to modernize their technology environments while managing rising costs, complex governance, and competing institutional priorities. This session pulls back the curtain on how and what technologies university technology leaders are evaluating, funding, and prioritizing for investments. Speakers will discuss enterprise platforms under review, buy-versus-build decisions, AI adoption realities, and the tradeoffs institutions are making between innovation, stability, and affordability. Attendees will gain practical insight into what’s getting approved, what’s getting delayed, and what’s getting shut down in higher education IT planning.

Moderator: Ron Bergmann, Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Education

Troy Hahn, Chief Information Officer, Queens College, NY

Bhavani Koneru, Chief Information Officer, Oakland University, MI

Lin Zhou, Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Texas Tech University, TX

The CDE and e.Republic Advantage: Your Partners in the Education Community

Understanding the education market requires more than anecdotal feedback—it requires trusted data, direct access to decision-makers, and sustained insight into how technology priorities evolve over time. In this closing session, leaders from the Center for Digital Education and e.Republic will outline how their research, events, and engagement with education leaders provide actionable market intelligence for industry partners. Learn how organizations use CDE insights to align solutions with real institutional needs, avoid common missteps, and engage education leaders with greater credibility and relevance.

Heidi Lorenzen, Chief Content Officer, e.Republic

Rachel Eckert, Director of Market Intelligence Operations, e.Republic

Q&A and Closing Remarks

Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education

Joe Morris, Chief Innovation Officer, e.Republic

Event Adjourns

Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.