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2026 CUWFA Virtual Retreat

May 5 - 7, 2026 • Sessions: 12:00–5:00 PM ET • Virtual

Thriving Through Change: Staying Grounded When the Landscape Shifts

CUWFA Member Registration | Guest Registration

Higher education is navigating rapid, often unsettling change — shifting policies, evolving workforce expectations, and new pressures on institutions and the people within them. The CUWFA community is built for exactly these moments.

Join us for the 2026 CUWFA Virtual Retreat: a flexible, affordable opportunity for reflection and connection designed to help work-life and employee experience professionals stay grounded, adapt, and thrive.

Format

The 2026 Retreat is fully virtual, with sessions running each day from 12:00–5:00 PM ET across three days: May 5–7. You do not need to block your entire schedule — drop into the sessions that matter most to you, and access recordings of all sessions at your convenience.

What to expect:

  • Keynote Address: Doing Hard Things Together: Reclaiming Strength, Purpose,
    and Community in Uncertain Times
    Jessica DeGroot, Founder & President, ThirdPath Institute
    May 6 | 12:00–2:00 PM ET

  • Johns Hopkins University – Center for Staff Life Design Training
    Imagine Possibilities: Reframing Limiting Beliefs with Shekeitha L. Jeffries
    May 7 | 12:00–2:00 PM ET

  • Member Presentations across Tuesday–Thursday
  • Courageous Conversations Panel
  • CUWFA Membership Meeting
  • Regional Networking and Sponsor Spotlights
  • CUWFA & Comfort (our beloved end-of-day wind-down)
  • Ongoing async community engagement — daily discussion topics, reflection prompts

All registered attendees receive access to session recordings.

Keynote Speaker

Jessica DeGroot
Founder & President, ThirdPath Institute
Wednesday, May 6 • 12:30–1:30 PM ET
Jessica DeGroot has spent decades helping organizations build sustainable, humane work cultures where people can thrive both professionally and personally. Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fast Company, Washington Post, and the New York Times Magazine. She will bring her signature insight to the realities facing higher education workplaces today.

Registration

Registration is open. The deadline to register is April 29, 2026.

Registration Type Rate
CUWFA Member $31.00
Member can invite a plus one* (one per member) FREE
Non-Member $31.00
*CUWFA members may bring one guest (a colleague who is not yet a member) at no additional cost. We encourage you to use this as an opportunity to introduce a potential future member to our community.

CUWFA Member Registration | Guest Registration

Community & Engagement

The retreat experience extends beyond the live sessions. All participants will have access to our async community space, where you can engage in topic-of-the-day discussions, work through reflection prompts and continue conversations throughout the week at your own pace.

This is a space for professionals in work-life, HR, employee experience, benefits, and caregiver support across higher education — a community of people who understand the complexity of your work and the importance of what you do.

Questions?

Please contact us at [email protected].

If you have questions about registration or the program, please reach out to the CUWFA team at [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you in May.