April 9, 2026

Before joining AESA for Mindset Over Machines, Dr. Eric Solomon posed a powerful question in his TED Talk, Robots Are Here. Are We? In a world shaped by rapidly advancing technology, his message shifts the focus away from tools and back to us, our awareness, our judgment, and our ability to think clearly as everything accelerates.

In this upcoming AESA Roundtable, Dr. Solomon will build on that idea, offering practical principles to help leaders and educators stay intentional, apply context, and lead with clarity in a constantly changing landscape.

Mindset Over Machines Roundtable
May 12, 2026
3:00–4:00 PM ET
Virtual | $79

Across the country, ESAs are leading, innovating, and making an impact—and we want to showcase your work.

The 2026 AESA Annual Conference & Expo, ESAs in Action: Leading, Innovating, and Elevating Education, is your opportunity to share ideas, strategies, and real-world solutions with colleagues from across the nation. Breakout sessions are a highlight of the conference, offering practical takeaways attendees can put into action right away.

If your ESA has a program, initiative, or lesson learned others could benefit from, we encourage you to submit a proposal.

Proposals should align with one of this year’s strands:

• Leadership in Action – Executing Visionary Strategies
• Innovation & Technology – Driving Systemic Change
• Entrepreneurship & Sustainability – Ensuring the Future of ESAs
• Student-Centered Solutions – Advancing Access
• Governance/ESA Board
• Administrative Excellence – Empowering the ESA Backbone (NEW!)

Proposals must be submitted through Whova by April 30, 2026.

Our 2025–26 cohort is currently on their global study experience (currently in Portugal, later in Spain), engaging in immersive learning, cultural exchange, and system-level exploration that is already shaping their leadership in powerful ways.

Looking ahead to 2026–27, the Leadership Academy is expanding participation to include both CEOs and cabinet-level ESA leaders—broadening access while maintaining a highly selective, intentionally limited cohort to ensure depth, trust, and meaningful exchange. That cohort will also culminate in an 11-day international experience in Hungary in April 2027.

If you're ready to expand your perspective, strengthen your leadership, and engage in meaningful, global learning, we encourage you to apply.

Application Deadline: April 30, 2026

The Building Capacity workshops were originally designed for district leadership teams to engage in hands-on planning using the Gen AI Maturity Tool. However, AESA is seeing strong interest from ESA teams as well. ESA staff who are exploring AI service models, regional supports, or system-level strategy are encouraged to participate. Below are upcoming workshops.

Central Indiana Education Service Center

• Dates: April 30-May 1, 2026

• Trainer: Tanika Kinartail, Professional Learning Specialist, and Ryan Murray, Professional Learning Specialist

• Location: CIESC, 3500 DePauw Blvd. Pyramid Two, Suite 2020, Indianapolis, IN 46268

• Register Here

Northeast Georgia RESA

• Dates: June 10-11, 2026

• Trainer: Shona Foster, Instructional Technology & Digital Learning Director

• Location: Braselton Civic Center, 27 E. Lake Drive, Braselton, GA 30517

• Registration Flyer