Overview of the Winter Forum
The 2026 Winter Forum was held February 18–19. Thank you for joining us for thought-provoking discussions and forward-looking presentations!
The 51³Ô¹Ï Winter Forum offers business and practice management insight and tools to support your work as an IEC.
Highlights of the program will include:
- Live Sessions–60-minute presentations (including time for Q&A) on business and practice management focused topics with key takeaways that IECs can apply to their practice.
- ´¡Ìýkeynote on Gen Alpha by nationally recognized expert Ashley Fell.
- Buzz Discussions–business/specialty-related topics that cover running a college, school, graduate school, or therapeutic practice, including knowledge, counseling, business, and trends.
- Member-to-member "One Great Idea/One Valuable Lesson" sharing of your single best tip, solution, or idea (participants receive a PDF of all submitted ideas).
2026 Winter Forum Schedule
The schedule is tentative and subject to change • All times are Eastern (ET)
Wednesday, February 18
10:30-11:15 a.m. ET
Pre-Forum Sponsor SpotlightÂ
CollegePlannerPro
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
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Stephanie Simpson, CEO, 51³Ô¹Ï
Understanding and Engaging with Generation Alpha
(bio and session description below)
Keynote: Ashley Fell, social researcher, author, TEDx speaker, and Director of Advisory at the internationally recognized McCrindle
1:30–2:30 p.m. ET
Presentation Sessions A (choose one)
Presentation Session A1: Systems 4 Smart Counseling: Evaluate IEC Business Tools
Presenter: Susan Knoppow, Wow Writing Workshop; Nagla Orlando, 51³Ô¹Ï (CA); Kate Sonnenberg, 51³Ô¹Ï (NJ)
Audience: Both 51³Ô¹Ï Professional & Associate Members
Presentation Session A2: Scale Smarter: Systems Every IEC Needs
Presenter: Eydie Balsam, 51³Ô¹Ï (MA); Lindsay Augustine, 51³Ô¹Ï (GA)
Audience: 51³Ô¹Ï Professional Members
Presentation Session A3: Capture Your Value: Hourly or Package?Â
Presenter: Beth Kraemer, 51³Ô¹Ï (IL); Zach Galin, 51³Ô¹Ï (WI); Cynthia Torres, 51³Ô¹Ï (CA)
Audience: 51³Ô¹Ï Associate Members
Presentation Session A4: College Admissions Today: Key Trends & PredictionsÂ
Presenter: Judi Robinovitz, 51³Ô¹Ï (FL)
Audience: Both 51³Ô¹Ï Professional & Associate Members
Break
3:00–4:00 p.m. ET
‘One Great Idea’ and ‘One Valuable Lesson’ (Part 1)
Moderated by Joan Koven, 51³Ô¹Ï (PA); Stephanie Simpson, CEO, 51³Ô¹Ï
Break
4:30–5:30 p.m. ET
Buzz Sessions B: Discussion Groups (choose one)
Buzz Session B1: List-Building Through a Mental Health Lens
Discussion Leader: Evelyn Jerome-Alexander, 51³Ô¹Ï (CA)
Audience: 51³Ô¹Ï Associate Members
Buzz Session B2: From Tool to Thought Partner: Ethical AI Use in College Counseling Practice
Discussion Leader: Lynne Fuller, 51³Ô¹Ï (PA)
Audience: 51³Ô¹Ï Professional Members
Buzz Session B3: Top Gap Year Trends Heading into 2026
Discussion Leader: Katherine Stievater, 51³Ô¹Ï (MA)
Audience: Both 51³Ô¹Ï Professional & Associate Members
Buzz Session B4: Let’s Talk About What We’re Seeing in This Admissions Cycle
Discussion Leader: Steve Antonoff, 51³Ô¹Ï (CO)
Audience: Both 51³Ô¹Ï Professional & Associate Members
Buzz Session B5: College Data: Messy, Incomplete, Amorphous. Let’s Talk
Discussion Leader: Chris Bell, 51³Ô¹Ï (CO)
Audience: Both 51³Ô¹Ï Professional & Associate Members
Buzz Session B6: Affordability Surprises 2026-27
Discussion Leaders: Claire Law, 51³Ô¹Ï (SC); Penny Linsenmayer, 51³Ô¹Ï (TX)
Audience: Both 51³Ô¹Ï Professional & Associate Members
5:45–6:30pm ET
Live Sponsor Spotlight Event
Polygence
Thursday, February 19
(all times are Eastern (ET)
10:30–11:15 a.m. ET
Live Sponsor Spotlight Event
Laurel Springs School
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
Navigating Tough Talks: Effective Communication with Students and Parents
(bio and session description below)
Featured Presenter: Jen Cort, LCSW-C
1:30–2:30 p.m. ET
Presentation Sessions C (choose one)
Presentation Session C2: Systems for High-Volume, High Touch ConsultingÂ
Presenter: Gina Wilner, 51³Ô¹Ï Associate (NC)
Audience: 51³Ô¹Ï Associate Members
Presentation Session C3: Break on Through to Unresponsive Students
Presenters: Tina Pratt, 51³Ô¹Ï (CA); Ryan Luse, 51³Ô¹Ï (MN); Mark Bechthold, 51³Ô¹Ï (CA); Randi Heathman, 51³Ô¹Ï (MI)
Audience: Both 51³Ô¹Ï Professional & Associate Members
Presentation Session C4: JUST ADDED! Building a Tool Stack—Solving Problems with Technology
Presenter: Michele Evard, 51³Ô¹Ï (MA)
Audience: Both 51³Ô¹Ï Professional & Associate Members
Session C5: Shaping the Future 51³Ô¹Ï Credentialing Program – Your Input Wanted
Led by: Stephanie Simpson, 51³Ô¹Ï Chief Executive Officer
Audience: 51³Ô¹Ï Professional Members
Break
3:00–4:00 p.m. ET
‘One Great Idea’ and ‘One Valuable Lesson’ (Part 2) & Closing
Moderated by Joan Koven, 51³Ô¹Ï (PA); Stephanie Simpson, CEO, 51³Ô¹Ï
Event Descriptions
Presentation Sessions
Hear from a presenter on a business or specialty topic with time provided for Q&A.
Buzz Sessions Discussion GroupsÂ
Let’s talk about what matters most to you: current trends in specialty areas, business solutions, or other topics of interest to IECs.
One Great Idea and One Valuable LessonÂ
Participants will share one great tip they’ve used in their practice and/or one valuable lesson they’ve applied to their work.
Keynote Presentation (Wednesday)
Understanding and Engaging with Generation Alpha
Generation Alpha–the children and adolescents born since 2010–are now moving through their schooling years and rapidly becoming the students, graduates, and young professionals of tomorrow.
As the most technologically literate, globally connected, and materially resourced generation in history, they are reshaping expectations around learning, well-being, communication, and career pathways.
In this session, social researcher and generational expert Ashley Fell draws on McCrindle’s latest insights (as the team who coined the term "Generation Alpha") to equip independent education consultants with a clear understanding of the unique characteristics, drivers, and challenges shaping this emerging cohort.
Fell will unpack:
- The defining traits, behaviors, and learning preferences of Gen Alpha adolescents.
- How technology, social media, and a globally fluid information environment are influencing their expectations and decision-making.
- The implications for independent educational guidance– how to support, motivate, and meaningfully connect with this next generation.
- Practical strategies for engaging Gen Alpha students in ways that resonate with their values and developmental needs.
This session provides research-backed insights and immediately actionable frameworks to help independent education consultants confidently navigate and engage the adolescents of Generation Alpha.
Keynote Presenter
Ashley Fell is a social researcher, author, TEDx speaker, and Director of Advisory at the internationally recognized McCrindle. Drawing on her background in media and communications, she helps organizations cut through in message-saturated times and communicate effectively across generations. She is the author of Work Wellbeing and Generation Alpha.
Ashley delivers research-driven presentations on generational change, technology’s impact, demographic shifts, and major social trends. In addition to keynote speaking, she is regularly engaged to lead corporate and nonprofit training days, facilitate industry panels, and run workshops for diverse multigenerational audiences.
With formal training in communications, extensive experience conducting and interpreting national research studies, and her leadership of McCrindle’s advisory team, Ashley brings robust, data-rich insights to every presentation and engagement.
Featured Session (Thursday)
Navigating Tough Talks: Effective Communication with Students and Parents
In this practical, skills-focused session, author and educator Jen Cort will equip participants with proven counseling strategies to communicate authentically with young people and successfully mediate high-stakes conversations between students and parents—especially when emotions run high or conflicts arise. Jen will share actionable tools to de-escalate tension, build trust, foster understanding, and guide families toward collaborative, student-centered decisions. Leave with concrete techniques you can apply immediately in your practice to strengthen relationships and support better outcomes during challenging moments.
Featured Presenter
Jen Cort, LCSW-C
Jen Cort is a highly regarded consultant and influential figure in the field of education. With her background as a school counselor, including at Sidwell Friends School, she aims to help schools create environments where students can be seen and heard and to teach students to be visible and use their voices in ways that work for them. Jen's collaborative approach involves partnering with trustees, leadership teams, students, teachers, and parents to build on each school's strengths and address areas of need, making everyone feel included in the process. Jen is deeply committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in schools. She hosts the internationally syndicated and highly acclaimed podcast Third Space With Jen Cort, a platform for discussing these critical issues, and the author of HUBS: Help Us Begin Mindsets and Strategies for Challenging Conversations.
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Winter Forum Live Presentation Sponsors