Pre-Conference Workshops

ATLIS 2026 Annual Conference

Pre-conference workshop details:

When: Sunday, April 26, 1-4 p.m. Eastern
Where: Hilton Atlanta Downtown
Cost: $349 non-member/$249 member
- Sponsored workshops: free

Workshop options:

Add any of these workshops to your conference registration. If you've already registered, you can sign up for a workshop below.

You will find the option to add on a pre-con workshop registration.

AI in Practice: How Schools Are Actually Doing the Work

This interactive pre-conference workshop brings together a small group of independent school leaders who are actively implementing AI across their campuses. Rather than featuring a single presenter or polished case studies, this session is designed as a shared, candid conversation among peers who are making real decisions about AI right now.

Participants will hear from several contributors, each leading a segment that explores how AI work is unfolding in their school communities. These conversations will surface both progress and pain points, offering an honest look at what is working, what has been challenging, and what leaders would do differently if they were starting again.

Topics will include:

Approaches to AI with students and faculty
Collaboration between academic and IT leaders through AI steering committees
Designing meaningful AI professional development for boards
A technical deep dive into practical uses of AI in school operations

Each segment is intentionally discussion-driven, with built-in time for questions, reflection, and group dialogue. Attendees should expect to participate actively, share their own experiences, and learn directly from colleagues who are navigating similar challenges.

This workshop is ideal for technology leaders, academic leaders, and administrators who are looking for practical insight, thoughtful conversation, and concrete ideas they can adapt to their own school contexts.

Riding the Wave: Building Lasting Resilience in School Leadership

Ideal for: Early career, Mid-career, Seasoned veterans, Team leaders

In the fast-paced world of independent schools, stress is unavoidable—but our response to it can transform how we lead and live. This extended workshop offers time and space to step back, reflect, and build resilience in ways that are sustainable for the long haul. Through research-informed frameworks, guided reflection, and practical tools for the mind, body, and heart, participants will learn strategies to manage stress, sharpen focus, and strengthen social connections. With expanded time for discussion and practice, attendees will craft a personalized resilience roadmap to bring balance, clarity, and strength back into their work and daily lives.

Top 3 Takeaways:

Gain a deeper understanding of the science and psychology of stress and resilience.
Practice a variety of experiential tools—breathwork, mindful awareness, and connection practices—that can be applied in real time.
Develop a personalized resilience plan to integrate strategies into both professional and personal contexts.

Presenter Information:

Megan Bounit
Technology Officer
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N)

The Evolving Threat of Advanced Phishing: AI, Deepfakes, and Social Engineering

This workshop explores how AI-generated phishing, deepfake fishing, and multi-stage social engineering target students, staff, and leadership, with practical approaches for detection, mitigation, and phishing-resistant controls.

Top Takeaways:

Attack Surface: What We See vs What an Attacker Sees
Highlights the gap between perceived security and the true attack surface in schools, using real incidents like the PowerSchool and MOVEit breaches to show how small oversights can lead to large compromises.
The Evolving Threat of Advanced Phishing: AI, Deepfakes, and Social Engineering
Explores how AI-generated phishing, deepfake vishing, and multi-stage social engineering target students, staff, and leadership, with practical approaches for detection, mitigation, and phishing-resistant controls.
Think Like an Attacker: Why the Adversarial Mindset is Essential for Schools
Focuses on adopting an adversarial mindset to proactively anticipate cyber threats, identify weaknesses, and strengthen defenses through threat modeling, tabletop exercises, and proactive policies.

Presenter information:

Krutika Thakur, Lead Security Consultant, 9ine

Trash In – Trash Out: Having the Most Positive Influence on the Data Culture of Your School Through the Admission and Enrollment Office

The Admission/Enrollment Office produces a strategic dataset that has a significant impact on the entire school. Admission applications, financial aid awards, and enrollment contracts are channeled through a variety of platforms. Enrolled student data flows downstream to the student information system, impacting academics and student life teams, and ends up in the Advancement Office, where family and alumni relationships are cultivated. If there is one area where technology leaders and institutional researchers can have the most positive influence on the data culture of the school, it is the Admission/Enrollment Office. Join Mission & Data as we map out the low-hanging fruit in admission data, outline actionable strategies to build a dynamite Tech - Admission/Enrollment partnership, and share best practices in our work with schools from around the country.

Google for Education Security Workshop, by CDW Education

Registration for this workshop is offered at no cost, thanks to CDW Education.

In this session, K12 education technology leaders will learn how to keep their students and staff safe online leveraging the capabilities within the Google Admin Console. They will learn about Google's security features for Google Workspace for Education, how to create and manage security policies, and how to investigate and respond to security incidents.

The session will begin with an overview of Google's security features for Google Workspace for Education. Participants will learn about features such as two-factor authentication, password policies, and malicious website blocking. They will also learn about the importance of security awareness training for students and staff.

In the second half of the session, participants will learn how to create and manage security policies for their school district. They will learn about topics such as data loss protection, the alert center, and restricting third-party app access with API controls. Additionally, we will explore advanced security tools within Workspace Standard and Plus such as the security dashboard, security health, and the investigation tool. They will also learn how to investigate and respond to security incidents.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

Understand Google's security features for Google Workspace for Education
Create and manage security policies for their schools
Investigate and respond to security incidents
Create data protection rules for Drive and Gmail

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