SchoolCEO Conference
All In: AI, Brand and Communications
Sept. 28-29, 2026 | Dallas, TX
Join us for two days of practical strategies, deep connections and time to wrestle with school leadership's biggest ideas. With all-new breakout sessions, keynotes and workshops this year, you’ll leave ready to put ideas into action.
$650 $450
Early Bird Registration
ends April 30th
This is not your typical education conference.
Learn marketing secrets from private sector experts.
Who is SchoolCEO Conference for?
Superintendents & Central Office Admins
SchoolCEO Conference is a rare chance to step out of the day-to-day and think bigger about your district: its brand, its reputation, and where it’s headed next. You’ll get insights from both private-sector strategists and fellow school leaders—but just as importantly, you’ll have space to actually wrestle with ideas. You’ll head home with a clearer sense of how your district is actually perceived, a sharper way to talk about your work and a short list of moves you can put into action right away.
School Communications Professionals
As a school communicator, you likely see long-term strategy as your most important priority—but it’s hard to get to when social media, crisis response and a dozen other daily requests pull you away. SchoolCEO Conference gives you the time and space to come back to that work. You’ll hear from speakers who understand the pressures you’re under and the bigger picture you’re trying to build. You’ll leave with a clearer plan for your district comms, rooted in what families actually care about and guaranteed to earn their trust.
Principals & Building-Level Leaders
For many families, your school is the district. That makes your role—building trust and shaping perception at the building level—incredibly important. The focus here is practical: you’ll walk away with clearer ways to tell your school’s story, stronger approaches to hiring and retention, and simple shifts that can change how your community experiences your school. And you won’t only leave with ideas but with actual tools to help you lead with purpose and efficacy, not just urgency.
Family Engagement & Retention Directors
SchoolCEO Conference gives you the chance to step out of reactive mode and think more strategically about how to keep families connected to your schools. We’ll review the data on what actually drives families’ decisions—and show you how clearer messaging and stronger storytelling will reflect what they value most back to them. You’ll head home with practical ideas you can test right away, plus a more intentional approach to helping families choose—and stay with—your district.
Emma Stratton
As the founder of B2B positioning firm Punchy and best-selling author of Make It Punchy, Emma Stratton has trained marketing teams and developed messaging strategies for some of the world’s leading tech companies, from Salesforce to Uber. At SchoolCEO Conference, she'll apply her industry-leading secrets apply to school communications to help you ensure your most important messages land.
Rebecca Bultsma
A featured Forbes expert on AI ethics, Rebecca Bultsma helps school leaders make sense of what's actually happening with AI, from deepfakes to algorithmic bias to the governance questions nobody has answers to yet. Before becoming a full-time speaker and researcher, Rebecca spent seven years as a school division communications director, so she knows what it's like to be the person everyone turns to when the hard questions hit.
Rebecca Bultsma
A featured Forbes expert on AI ethics, Rebecca Bultsma helps school leaders make sense of what's actually happening with AI, from deepfakes to algorithmic bias to the governance questions nobody has answers to yet. Before becoming a full-time speaker and researcher, Rebecca spent seven years as a school division communications director, so she knows what it's like to be the person everyone turns to when the hard questions hit.
Emma Stratton
As the founder of B2B positioning firm Punchy and best-selling author of Make It Punchy, Emma Stratton has trained marketing teams and developed messaging strategies for some of the world’s leading tech companies, from Salesforce to Uber. At SchoolCEO Conference, she'll apply her industry-leading secrets apply to school communications to help you ensure your most important messages land.
Get to know our speakers.
Get a taste of this year's conference sessions with Q&As and perspectives from our keynotes.
Emma Stratton: Lead with Why
Rebecca Bultsma: When Everything Looks Real and Nothing Feels True
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Rebecca Bultsma: Full Steam Ahead
Why Dallas?
It’s easy. Dallas is a major hub for airlines including American and Southwest. There are more than 5,000 daily passenger flights and 271 nonstop flights into DFW.
It’s delicious. Dallas is a premier and eclectic dining destination for foodies at every budget, from Michelin-starred restaurants to dim sum diners to world-class BBQ joints.
It’s fun. Dallas is home to more shopping malls and museums than any other city in Texas. You can also catch a Dallas Cowboys game, see a Broadway musical or visit a honky tonk for live country music.
The Fairmont Dallas
Our official conference hotel is the The Fairmont Dallas. Hotel rooms and the conference itself is all located within The Fairmont. Located in the heart of downtown Dallas, you're steps away from world-class art museums, incredible restaurants, and more.
1717 N Akard St
Dallas, TX 75201
Day 1: Breakout Sessions
Monday, September 28, 2026
Open Registration: 8:00am to 5:30pm
Join us for practical workshops and deep dives into original research. Sessions are first-come, first-serve and all sessions repeat (morning and afternoon). Follow a theme or mix it up!
Apptegy Platform Training Track
These sessions are designed for those who want to get more from Apptegy's products and platform.
9:00 AM – Culture & Internal Communications
10:15 AM – Communications and Attendance: How to (and not to) Communicate about Absenteeism
11:30 AM – Panel Discussion: Leveling Up School District Communications with the Apptegy Platform
Hands On Workshop Track
These sessions are interactive, feature peer districts, and will help you walk away with specific tactics and work to bring back to your district.
9:00 AM – Customer Service and Hospitality in the Age of AI
10:15 AM – Designing Key Webpages for Action and Engagement
11:30 AM – On Brand: How to Create a Distinctive and Effective District Brand
Research & Strategy Track
These sessions are research based and led by SchoolCEO staff writers and researchers.
9:00 AM – Research: AI in School Communications
10:15 AM – Panel Discussion: Activating Brand Ambassadors
11:30 AM – Research: Activating Advocates
Day 2: Keynote Sessions
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Provided: Breakfast, lunch and dinner; snack breaks; WiFi
8:00 AM – Breakfast at Fairmont Dallas
8:30 AM – Opening Session: All-In
9:00 AM – Keynote Speaker TBA
11:00 AM – Keynote Speaker TBA
About SchoolCEO
SchoolCEO is a research and perspectives magazine for superintendents and other K12 leaders. Published quarterly in print and online, SchoolCEO is the only magazine focused on marketing in K-12 public education. This publication equips educators with the unique and actionable ideas they need to brand and market their schools in a highly competitive environment. With more than 20,000 readers, SchoolCEO is leading the conversation on communications, recruitment, and branding in public education. For past issues and more information visit schoolceo.com
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About SchoolCEO
SchoolCEO is a research and perspectives magazine for superintendents and other K12 leaders. Published quarterly in print and online, SchoolCEO is the only magazine focused on marketing in K-12 public education. This publication equips educators with the unique and actionable ideas they need to brand and market their schools in a highly competitive environment. With more than 20,000 readers, SchoolCEO is leading the conversation on communications, recruitment, and branding in public education. For past issues and more information visit schoolceo.com