Austin Community College District’s Office for the Future is on a bold mission to lead higher education. Join Austin Community College District (ACC) for the inaugural Summit of Future Makers, a bold, two-day gathering of innovators, educators, futurists, and change-makers committed to shaping what’s next.
Hosted by ACC’s Office for the Future, this first-of-its-kind summit marks the culmination of a year of collaboration by the nation’s first-ever Future Makers cohort—and invites you into the conversation as we move from bold ideas to real-world impact.
Whether you’re designing systems, leading institutions, reimagining education, or building pathways to opportunity, this summit offers inspiration, connection, and practical insight for creating the future—together.
Summit Host & Architect
Dr. Monique Reeves
In her opening plenary, Dr. Reeves challenged higher education institutions to treat inclusion as a driver of innovation and proactively embrace creative disruption by courageously eliminating outdated, fragmented systems to make space for agile, forward-looking models, such as digital twins and living intelligence.
Head of Product, Office for the Future
Dr. Andrea Kehoe
Through OFtF, ACC serves as a laboratory for transformative technologies, collaborative intelligence, and entrepreneurial practice. Dr. Kehoe develops scalable, high-impact solutions that bridge higher education and industry, preparing learners for the future of work while supporting regional economic mobility and workforce relevance.
Master of Ceremonies
David DeRouen
Austin Community College District
David DeRouen is a higher education leader and student success strategist with extensive experience in academic advising, program management, registrar, and institutional operations. At Austin Community College, he has served in multiple leadership roles, including co-leading ACC’s Theory of Change team addressing advising at the institution. David brings a strong foundation in leadership from his service in the United States Air Force, where he developed expertise in operations, team management as a special weapons and tactics operator, first sergeant, and high-stakes decision-making. A retired, decorated USAF non-commissioned officer, he has served in 7 Military Operations Other Than War, and 2 wars. This experience is integral to inform his collaborative leadership style and focus on accountability, efficiency, and mission-driven outcomes. A dedicated advocate for employee engagement and shared governance, David has also served as President of the Association of Professional-Technical Employees (APTE) at ACC, where he worked to strengthen organizational culture, elevate staff voices, and support leadership development across the institution.
By the Numbers
- 140 in-person attendees
- 20 dedicated staff & student volunteers
- 4 inspiring breakout sessions
- 2 insightful keynote speakers
- 5 Alliance of Future Makers showcases
- 1 replica of the “Back to the Future” DeLorean
Event Highlights
ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart kicked off the summit, introducing the College’s Futurist, Dr. Monique Reeves. In her plenary, Dr. Reeves argued that higher education institutions must treat inclusion as a driver of innovation and proactively embrace creative disruption by courageously eliminating outdated, fragmented systems to make space for agile, forward-looking models, such as digital twins and living intelligence.
Emceed by Student Rights & Responsibilities Senior Conduct Coordinator David DeRouen, the programming featured future-focused leaders and discussions, including the Future Fit Panel, which offered a dynamic discussion on preparing learners for jobs that don’t exist yet. The panel featured voices from IBM, Packback, ImaginX, and the City College of Chicago.
The summit drew change-makers from Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois, and across Texas, marking the culmination of a year of collaboration by the inaugural Alliance of Future Makers cohort.
Breakout sessions allowed for deeper dives into critical topics such as AI, interrogative reasoning, and higher education innovation.
Miss it? Relive the Experience
Watch the Summit
▶️ Keynotes, the Future Fit Panel, and plenary sessions are heading to ACC TV. Catch the ideas you couldn’t be in two rooms for—and share with your colleagues who couldn’t make it.
Explore the Program
📖 Flip through the full Summit program, featuring session descriptions, speaker bios, and the event schedule.
Keynote Guests:
Mark Bryan
Mark Bryan is the Chief Research and Strategy Officer at the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), where he leads the organization’s global research, foresight, and strategic intelligence agenda. In this role, he is responsible for expanding IIDA’s capacity to generate industry-relevant insight and advance the profession through research, thought leadership, and future-focused strategy.
He also leads IIDA Futures, the association’s dedicated research and foresight platform focused on advancing the interior design profession and the broader built environment through structured, mission-driven research, insights, and educational offerings. Under his leadership, IIDA Futures develops industry-facing research, scenario-based work, executive learning, and capability-building programs that expand shared knowledge, surface leadership considerations, identify future skill needs and capability gaps, and strengthen professional development and future readiness across the field.
Prior to joining IIDA, Bryan served as Senior Foresight Manager at the Future Today Strategy Group, where he led work across the built environment, supply chain and logistics, hospitality, retail, restaurants, and consumer goods. His research has explored manufacturing, urban systems, workplace strategy, emerging technologies, the future of communities, and the evolving dynamics shaping organizations and industries.
Earlier in his career, Bryan worked across design, strategy, and research, advising global consumer brands, owners and operators, higher education institutions, healthcare systems, developers, senior living operators, and major corporate organizations. He has authored and contributed to work on workplace culture, co-living, distance learning, senior living, and the evolving relationship between design and human experience.
Bryan previously served as IIDA’s Futurist-in-Residence and played a central role in developing and facilitating its Certified Design Futurist course. Across his work, he is committed to elevating the profession through research, expanding access to future-oriented insight and learning, and helping build the knowledge, capabilities, and confidence needed to lead through uncertainty.
Hugh Forrest
A transformative leader in the global events industry, Hugh Forrest dedicated more than three decades of his life to building South by Southwest (SXSW) into one of the world’s most influential gatherings of technology, innovation and culture.
Over the course of his 30+ year tenure at SXSW, Hugh was honored as “Austinite of the Year” by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce (in 2012) and was also awarded as “Austin Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young (in 2014).
A transformative leader in the global events industry, Hugh Forrest dedicated more than three decades of his life to building South by Southwest (SXSW) into one of the world’s most influential gatherings of technology, innovation and culture.
Over the course of his 30+ year tenure at SXSW, Hugh was honored as “Austinite of the Year” by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce (in 2012) and was also awarded as “Austin Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young (in 2014).
Austin Mayor Steve Adler honored him with a key to the city in January 2023. And in September 2025, Hugh was given the Legacy CEO of the Year Award by the Austin Business Journal.
Kenyon College, his alma mater, bestowed him with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2018, acknowledging his significant impact on arts, culture, and education.
His commitment to diversity and inclusion was likewise recognized when Hugh received the Diversity Champion of the Year award from the Austin Black Business Journal in June 2021.
In addition to SXSW, Hugh served as the co-organizer of the Austin Reggae Festival for more than 30 years. This event raised more than one million dollars to help the Central Texas Food Bank feed hungry families in the Lone Star State.
Hugh now channels his experience and expertise into exciting new directions with Gather & Grow Experiences, a consultancy that serves community-focused events, experiences and organizations globally.
Current clients include SP2B (an eight-day celebration of culture and business scheduled for August 2026 in São Paulo, Brazil), the Texas Tribune Festival (September 24-26 in Austin), the Austin Forum (a weekly ATX-based event series) and Borderlands AI (a new event launching in El Paso in the spring of 2027).
Learn more about these and other projects at gatherandgrowexperiences.com.
He is also lending his insights to the Austin Sister Cities International (ASCI), as an at-large board member for this important committee. Other current Board positions include the school food program Common Threads and as a Trustee for the Better Business Bureau, Heart of Texas Chapter. He previously served on the Board for Austin Habitat for Humanity.
Become a Sponsor
The Summit of Future Makers at Austin Community College District brings together bold thinkers, educators, innovators, and partners committed to building what’s next—for learners, communities, and the workforce of tomorrow. By sponsoring the Summit, your organization becomes a visible partner in innovation, opportunity, and transformation, while gaining meaningful exposure to national leaders and change-makers shaping the future of education and work.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Ideal for organizations ready to spark innovation and support emerging ideas. Benefits include:
- Logo recognition on the Summit website and select digital materials
- Recognition during opening and closing general sessions
- Three (3) complimentary Summit registrations
- Inclusion in the digital program and rotating sponsor slide loop
- Verbal acknowledgment as a Catalyst Sponsor
- Click Here to Submit Sponsorship
For partners eager to play an active role in guiding conversations and solutions. Benefits include:
- Prominent logo placement on the Summit website and on-site signage
- Five (5) complimentary Summit registrations
- Opportunity to host or sponsor a breakout or interactive session
- Logo inclusion in post-Summit recap communications
- Recognition as a Navigator Sponsor during key sessions
- Click Here to Submit Sponsorship
A premier partnership for organizations leading bold change at scale. Benefits include:
- Premier logo placement across all Summit materials and main stage signage
- Opportunity to introduce the keynote speaker and provide a two-minute welcome
- Ten (10) complimentary Summit registrations
- Featured recognition during a keynote or plenary session
- Opportunity for an organizational leader to participate in a curated Future Fit Council leadership roundtable
- Dedicated recognition in Summit press releases and post-Summit communications
- Click Here to Submit Sponsorship
Contact Us to Learn More: [email protected]
Breakout Session Leaders
The Summit featured four dynamic breakout sessions led by national thought leaders actively shaping the future of education, workforce, and technology:
Dr. Mary Darden
Greg Brisco
Dr. JaNice Marshall
Meme Styles & Jose Teran
Each session was designed to spark dialogue, challenge assumptions, and equip participants with ideas they can translate into action—exploring critical topics such as AI, interrogative reasoning, and higher education innovation.
Future Fit Panel
One of the summit’s most dynamic conversations, the Future Fit Panel brought together industry and education leaders to tackle a critical question: How do we prepare learners for jobs that don’t exist yet?
Panelists:
- ImaginX – Future-focused educational design and experiential learning
- Packback – Innovative approaches to AI-enhanced learning and critical thinking
- IBM – Industry perspective on emerging technology skills and workforce needs
- City College of Chicago – Community college leadership in workforce alignment and adaptive programming
The panel explored how education can stay responsive and workforce-aligned in an era of rapid technological change, offering practical strategies for building agile, future-ready institutions.
Alliance of Future Makers Cohort
AFM Project Showcases
Throughout the summit, Fellows showcased strategic foresight projects demonstrating how they are applying futures thinking to strengthen institutional resilience in real, tangible ways. These projects illustrate how the future isn’t something that simply unfolds – it’s something we actively shape through intentional design, insight, and collaboration.
Ready to join the next cohort? By exploring the Alliance of Future Makers, you’ll gain access to the tools, mindset, and community needed to anticipate change and lead with confidence.
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