September 24, 2026

Some of the best professional learning starts with one great session, one new idea, or one conversation that makes you want to dig deeper.

That’s what we’re highlighting this week. From speakers you’ll meet in Orlando to learning experiences coming this fall, here are a few opportunities to learn, connect, and bring new ideas back to your ESA.

We have a special message for AESA members from Erik Therwanger, who will close out the 2026 AESA Annual Conference & Expo in Orlando.

Erik will challenge us to think about leadership, culture, and how we bring out the best in the people around us.

And you won't have to wait until the closing keynote to learn from him.

Erik is also leading a breakout session during the conference, giving participants another opportunity to explore his ideas in a smaller setting and take away strategies they can put into practice.

We are service agencies. But how intentionally have we built exceptional service into the way our organizations operate?

At the AESA Annual Conference & Expo, the Service With Soul breakout session will challenge participants to think about service as more than a friendly interaction. It’s about the culture we create, the experience we provide, and how every person in an organization contributes to serving schools and communities well.

Then, take those ideas home and put them to work.

Beginning January 20, the six-session Service With Soul Customer Service Online Learning Lab will help participants move from inspiration to action by examining their own practices, applying new approaches, and building service more intentionally into their organizations.

Get introduced to Service With Soul in Orlando.

Then build it into the way your ESA works in 2027.

How do you build for long-term sustainability? Where are the next opportunities for growth and service innovation? How will AI change the way ESAs operate and serve their communities?

Those are the kinds of questions at the center of Business Strategy Framework 2.0: Managing Strategic Resources, October 26-27 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

MIT Professor Duncan Simester, along with AESA consultants Doreen Marvin and Andy Pechacek, will help ESA leaders think strategically about growth, sustainability, competitive strategy, AI, and the decisions shaping their organizations.

We encourage you to secure your spot before the October 4 hotel deadline and join us in St. Petersburg!

You don’t have to be ready for BSF 2.0 to start thinking differently about your ESA’s business strategy.

Business Strategy Framework 1.0 will be offered as a post-conference workshop December 4-5 in Orlando, immediately following the AESA Annual Conference & Expo.

BSF 1.0 introduces the framework and gives ESA leaders tools for thinking differently about customers, services, competition, growth, and long-term sustainability.

It’s also an opportunity for organizations already using the framework to bring additional team members into the work.

If these sessions have you thinking about Orlando, now is the time to make your plans. Save on your registration for the 2026 AESA Annual Conference & Expo when you register by September 30.

Join colleagues from across the country December 2-4 at the Hilton Orlando for ESAs in Action, with three days of learning, connection, and ideas designed for educational service agencies.