Join us at the New England GenAI Symposium for Higher Education!

 

Friday, May 1, 2026

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Reception to follow

 

The New England GenAI Symposium for Higher Education offers interactive sessions on GenAI readiness, its impact on administrative operations, and student experiences. Attendees will include EVPs, Provosts, CFOs, CIOs, CHROs, and CoS and will collaborate on innovative AI-driven pedagogy and exchange real-world solutions. The event provides actionable insights and peer connections to navigate change and drive sustainable, mission-aligned transformation using GenAI.​​ 

Please note this gathering will be exclusively for invited guests only. The invitation is non-transferrable.

Session

New England GenAI Symposium for Higher Education
Date & Time Friday, May 1. 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Reception to follow
Location MIT Sloan Executive Education Center

1 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02142
Agenda 
9:00 – 10:00 am Registration and Check-In
10:00 – 10:15 am Kickoff and Welcome
  • Sam Solomon, CFO and Treasurer at Brandeis University and TBC Chair
  • Peter Hirst, Senior Associate Dean, Executive Education at MIT Sloan School of Management
  • Richard Locke, John C Head III Dean at MIT Sloan School of Management
10:15 – 11:00 am Fireside Chat with Q&A
  • Matthew Schneider, Managing Director of State, Local and Education at Google Public Sector
  • Jim Rowan, US Head of AI at Deloitte
11:00 – 12:00 pm Session 1: “Where to Begin? A Panel Discussion on People, Data, and Governance Readiness for GenAI”

Administrative and faculty leaders from two institutions will share their perspectives on assessing and building readiness across people, data, and governance—aligning strategy and risk while prioritizing investments to responsibly scale GenAI.
  • Patty Patria, CIO at Babson College
  • Nada Hashmi, Assistant Professor Operations & Information Management at Babson College
  • Bob Graham, Associate Vice President, Information Services & Technology; Chief AI Officer at Boston University
  • Azer Bestavros, Associate Provost for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University

Moderator: Tamara Askew, National AI in Higher Education Practice Leader at Deloitte
12:00 – 12:45 pm Catered Lunch
12:45-1:45 pm Session 2: “Streamlining Success: AI for Administrative and Back-Office Transformation”

Learn from several higher education leaders, in a lightning talk format, as they share real-world examples of how they are using AI to transform and modernize back-office functions—including HR, IT, procurement, and research administration—to improve efficiency and service quality.
  • Chris Sedore, Vice President, Information Services & Technology; CIO; Chief Transformation Officer at Boston University
  • David Cho, Chief Procurement Officer, Strategic Procurement at Harvard University
  • Gaspare LoDuca, Vice President, Information Services & Technology and CIO at MIT
  • Carol Wood, Senior Director, Research Systems and Support at MIT
  • Michele Grazulis, Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at Northeastern University

Moderator: David Shettler, VP for Information and Technology & CIO at College of the Holy Cross
1:45 – 2:45 pm Session 3: “AI in the Classroom: AI’s Impact on the Student Experience”

Moderated by a faculty member, hear from multiple students as they share a student-informed perspective on how AI is shaping learning and campus engagement—highlighting the opportunities, challenges, risks, and ethical dilemmas they face as they adopt AI.
  • Rodrigo Verdi, Deputy Dean for Degree Programs, Teaching and Learning at MIT Sloan School of Management
  • A panel of undergraduate and graduate students to be announced
2:45 – 3:00 pm Break
3:00 – 3:45 pm Bringing It All Together: Facilitated Discussion by Institution Regroup by institution for facilitated table discussions to synthesize key takeaways, with a report out on highlights to all attendees.
3:45 – 4:00 pm Wrap Up
  • Wes Esser, CIO and Executive Director, Sloan Technology Services at MIT Sloan School of Management
  • Tamara Askew, National AI in Higher Education Practice Leader at Deloitte
4:00 pm Reception
Please contact info@boston-consortium.org for additional information or questions.
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