SamTastic Weekly Tip: 9/17/26 - 20th Annual National SAM Conference

Jim Mercer

4 days ago

2 min read

This week’s Tip: 20^th Annual National SAM Conference

Registration opened last Monday for the 20^th Annual National SAM Conference with a third of the available seats taken.

Each conference is designed to honor the work of SAM teams by providing the very best keynote and breakout sessions along with unparalleled food, beverage and entertainment. We strive to make attendees feel as if they work for Apple or Google rather than a school district. Why? Because your work deserves celebration coupled with exceptional professional development opportunities with remarkable colleagues from 24 states. This, coupled with the best presenters and brightest lights in leadership and education creates a conference that consistently ranks as the best in the US.

Most attendees will arrive Thursday, January 14. Some will arrive a day early for six all-day pre-conference workshops. Five keynote speakers and 25 breakout sessions are featured Friday and Saturday. Nightly dinner events feature dance bands, activities and delightful experiences leading to Cirque du Soleil’s premier show Mystere closing the conference Saturday night. Attendees return home Sunday…or stay an extra night as Monday, January 18, is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday.

Here’s the link to register: https://bit.ly/4zVNzdD

Best for a SamTastic week,

Mark

Mark Shellinger, Director

National SAM Innovation Project

Keynote Speakers

Manley Feinberg

Vertical Leadership Lessons

Manley is recognized as an award winning international keynote speaker, business leader, and author whose work has been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox, and in The New York Daily News, Entrepreneur, American Express Open Forum and World News.

Henna Pryor

The Signal Gap

A new and unnerving reality has emerged: clarity is no longer enough. Hybrid work blurs tone, digital brevity flattens nuance, AI rewrites voices, and trust sits at an all-time low. People aren’t just listening to what we say – they are quietly testing whether they can believe us.

Anton Gunn

Become Legendary

Anton J. Gunn is a former senior advisor to President Barack Obama and the world’s leading authority on workplace injustice. As a professional speaker and leadership consultant, he has worked with more than 400 organizations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Kyle Green

Moments to Movements

Kyle A. Greene is one of the most sought-after motivational speakers and educational consultants in the country — but his journey didn't start on a stage. It started in his struggles.

Jared Horvath

The Digital Delusion

Educator and neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath reveals why digital tools in school consistently undermine learning—and what parents, teachers, and schools can do to push back with purpose.