2026 COCA National Conference: Full Schedule

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

arrow_back View All Dates

9:00am MDT

Keynote Series 1

Tuesday June 16, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am MDT

Avery Swartz - Drawing the Line: Making Choices in the Age of AI
Every campus professional is making AI decisions, often unknowingly. From drafting emails to analyzing surveys or editing photos, the questions are constant—and the answers unclear. In this keynote, Avery offers a practical framework using real campus examples to navigate the gray areas, helping attendees make confident, ethical AI choices in everyday work.

Wayne Lee - ACE Your Day Keynote: Creating High Performance On Demand
Creating unforgettable student experiences comes with constant pressure—balancing leadership, mental wellness, team dynamics, engagement challenges, tight budgets, and the demand to keep students connected in an increasingly distracted world. Wayne Lee delivers a high-energy keynote experience that combines psychology, comedy hypnosis, audience interaction, and practical performance strategies to help student leaders and campus programmers learn how to consistently show up at their best, lead with confidence, adapt under pressure. Through laughter-filled demonstrations, inspiring insights, and powerful takeaways, attendees will discover how mindset, focus, emotional state, and connection directly impact leadership, student engagement, teamwork, and the success of the experiences they create on campus.

Presenters

Avery Swartz

Keynote Speaker, Camp Tech

Avery Swartz is an acclaimed tech educator and best-selling author. She is the founder and CEO of Camp Tech, Canada’s most established provider of practical tech and AI skills training, and is co-lead of AI Skills Lab Canada, a national program bridging the AI gender adoption... Read More →

Wayne Lee

Speaker/Entertainer, Wayne Lee Enterprises Inc

For over 30 years, Wayne Lee has been a high-performance keynote speaker, entertainer, and self-trained hypnotist who has shown over 6000 global organizations how to perform at their best automatically, using the power of the subconscious.Wayne's fascination with performance began... Read More →

Tuesday June 16, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am MDT
Capital A DoubleTree Regina

Education, Keynote Presentation

10:45am MDT

Leading with Confidence

Tuesday June 16, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

Capital B

This session challenges what it means to be a confident leader - sometimes your confidence in what you can't do is more important than your confidence in what you can do. Jamie's experiences of navigating various leadership roles, both on and off campus, while living with bipolar disorder has shaped the way she looks at creating a culture in which teams can utilize their strengths, be confident in their weaknesses, and thrive in a holistic learning environment. This session aims to give attendees the tools to support themselves and their team through the complexities of the school year, focusing on leading by example, setting limits, delegating tasks, dreaming big, and handling burnout.

Note: This is a 60 minute session

Presenters

Jamie Hopkins

President, Cambrian Student Council

Tuesday June 16, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Capital B DoubleTree Regina

Education, ED Session Series 1

10:45am MDT

Beyond the Buzz: The Future of AI Adoption for Campus Professionals

Tuesday June 16, 2026 10:45am - 12:15pm MDT

Capital A

If the keynote asked “should we,” this shows “how.” A practical 2026 look at using generative AI in campus work: understanding tools, integrating them into workflows, and applying them to tasks like communications, notes, content, and data. It explores agentic AI and emerging media, clarifying what’s possible, useful, and trustworthy.

Presenters

Avery Swartz

Keynote Speaker, Camp Tech

Tuesday June 16, 2026 10:45am - 12:15pm MDT
Capital A DoubleTree Regina

Education, ED Session Series 1

10:45am MDT

The Ins and Outs of Esports

Tuesday June 16, 2026 10:45am - 12:15pm MDT

Qu'Appelle

Collegiate esports is rapidly shaping student life across North America. This session explores its growth, using St. Clair College’s varsity program as a model for balancing competition, leadership, and support. It highlights inclusive gaming trends and shows how low-cost initiatives like casual play spaces can build community, enhance wellness, and boost student engagement on any campus.

Presenters

Crystal Benn

Manager, Facilities Building Operations, St Clair Student Representative Council

COCA Board Chair 2024-2026

Tuesday June 16, 2026 10:45am - 12:15pm MDT
Qu'Appelle DoubleTree Regina

Education, ED Session Series 1

4:00pm MDT

Graphic Design Roundtable

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Qu'Appelle

Whether you’re a seasoned designer or just getting started, this session is a space to talk all things graphic design! We’ll kick things off by hearing what you want to dive into, then focus on the most popular topics and shape the conversation together. Prepare for a collaborative session, with time to go deeper into ideas, tools and challenges as they come up.

Presenters

Annelies Sikkenga

Manager (Marketing, Events & Partnerships), University of Manitoba Students' Union

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Qu'Appelle DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

4:00pm MDT

Low Cost No Cost Events Roundtable

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Capital B

Let's talk about how to make a big impact without the big budget! Bring your best (and cheapest) event ideas to this roundtable and leave with a whole new list of creative, low-budget programming to try at your campus.

Presenters

Emma Doucette

Events and Communications Coordinator, Student Association of Holland College

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Capital B DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

4:00pm MDT

Student Group Resources & Communications Roundtable

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Capital A

Trade tips on training, toolkits, and communication channels that actually work. Be ready to not only discuss the challenges, but move forward into solutions and strategies you can take back to your campus community!

Presenters

Selen Erkut

Manager, Student Group Services, University of Alberta Students' Union

Hi, I’m Selen Erkut (seh-LEN ERR-koot), I use she/her pronouns, and I’m the Manager of Student Group Services at the University of Alberta Students’ Union. I’ve been working with student groups at the U of A for over 5 years, managing a team of up to 7 staff, and we supervise... Read More →

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Capital A DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

4:00pm MDT

Volunteer Engagement Roundtable

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Moose Jaw Room

Volunteer managers know that keeping volunteers motivated, informed, and coming back can real challenge. Join this discussion to swap strategies, war stories, and creative solutions for building a team that sticks around.

Presenters

Avery Teo (He/Him)

Graduate Coordinator, Orientation & Transition Programs, University of Alberta Students' Union / University of Alberta

Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Moose Jaw Room DoubleTree Regina

Education, Roundtables

9:00am MDT

10:45am MDT

10:45am MDT

10:45am MDT

4:00pm MDT

4:00pm MDT

4:00pm MDT

4:00pm MDT

Get help with the event