November 30 | 1:00 PM
Tom Fishburne, creator of Marketoonist, is a keynote speaker who draws cartoons from deep business experience. He speaks worldwide on the power of humor to help us do our best work — by laughing together at what gets in the way.
Tom’s cartoon, Marketoonist, has lampooned the constantly changing business world for more than 20 years. First published in the Harvard Business School student newspaper and later emailed from a General Mills cubicle, Marketoonist is now read by half a million weekly readers. Tom is a LinkedIn “Top Voice” with more than 400,000 followers.
He draws (literally and figuratively) from more than 20 years in the marketing trenches in the US and Europe. Tom was CMO at HotelTonight, VP at Method, and managed brands for Nestlé and General Mills. He was also a digital marketing pioneer at iXL, now part of Razorfish.
Tom expanded Marketoonist into a creative studio that has developed award-winning campaigns for more than 200 businesses, including Google, DBS Bank, and Adobe. He is the author of “Your Ad Ignored Here.” He also illustrated 3 bestselling business books with Deloitte: “Provoke,” “Detonate,” and “Work Disrupted.”
His cartoons have been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and the New York Times. They’ve appeared twice on billboard ads in Times Square and once helped win a Guinness World Record.
Tom works from a backyard cartoon studio north of San Francisco with his amazing wife, Tallie, who is always the first to see his sketches.
December 1 | 8:45 AM
Student success depends on more than technology and efficient processes—it requires intentional human connection. This session explores how institutions can design belonging across the learner journey, from prospective student engagement through enrollment and online learning. Presenters will share practical strategies for building inclusive online communities, preserving meaningful human touchpoints within increasingly automated student services, and fostering authentic connection through social media and digital engagement. Together, these approaches demonstrate how intentional relationship-building can strengthen engagement, persistence, and student success while supporting institutional goals. Participants will leave with adaptable frameworks, practical tools, and implementation ideas to help create more connected, learner-centered experiences across marketing, student support, and teaching, ensuring that technology enhances rather than replaces the human relationships at the heart of higher education.
Moderator:
December 1 | 12:15 PM
In the movies, a big opening weekend can feel like the whole game. In higher education, enrollment can feel that way too: land the class, hit the number, celebrate. But the institutions that consistently win don't stop at opening weekend. They build something learners come back to, again and again. In this energizing session, Bruce Etter, UPCEA's Senior Director of Research and Consulting, explores where marketing and enrollment management stand today and what separates a one-time hit from a lasting franchise. Anchored in exclusive new findings from UPCEA's 2026 Marketing and Enrollment Management benchmarking survey, with a look at how learners search in the age of AI, he brings marketing, enrollment, and student success into a single story. Attendees will leave with practical moves that can help earn their institution a sequel.
December 2 | 8:45 AM
Artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimentation, yet many institutions remain caught between isolated pilots and enterprise-wide transformation. This session explores how to bridge that gap by connecting team-level innovation with institution-wide strategy. Presenters will share a practical framework for helping departments build an AI roadmap that prioritizes experimentation, aligns teams around shared goals, and creates momentum for adoption. The session then expands to the institutional level, examining how higher education leaders can translate successful pilots into sustainable strategy through governance, workforce readiness, operational integration, and organizational culture. Participants will leave with a replicable planning framework, practical implementation tools, and strategic insights for moving beyond disconnected AI initiatives toward a coordinated, institution-wide approach that prepares their organizations for an AI-enabled future.
Moderator:
December 2 | 11:15 AM
Join this lively interactive conversation with the top recipients of the UPCEA 2026 MEMS awards as these innovative leaders share their insights and expertise in marketing, enrollment management, and student success.
Moderator: