51st Annual In-Person AHEA Conference

Join us for two days of engaging sessions, networking opportunities, and insightful discussions at the AHEA Conference. We look forward to seeing you there! If you attend the in-person conference, you are automatically registered for the virtual conference on February 24, 2027.

Mentoring has long played an essential role in adult and higher education. It supports learning, strengthens professional identity, develops leadership capacity, and helps individuals and organizations navigate change. Although mentoring is often associated with formal programs and traditional mentor–protégé relationships, some of the most meaningful developmental experiences also emerge informally through professional relationships, collaborative communities, peer networks, role models, and opportunities to learn across disciplines, generations, and career stages.

Inspired by Mentoring in Formal and Informal Contexts, co-edited by Kathy Peno, PhD, Elaine Silva Mangiante, PhD, and Rita Kenehan, EdD, this year’s conference theme—Mentoring for Learning, Leadership, and Change in Adult and Higher Education—invites participants to examine mentoring as a dynamic and evolving practice. The book brings together perspectives from higher education, K–12 teacher education, healthcare, business, technology, and community settings. Collectively, its chapters demonstrate that mentoring can take many forms and serve many purposes, from supporting graduate students and early-career faculty to preparing educators, developing leaders, advancing inclusive practice, fostering innovation, and creating collaborative communities of learning.

Cost: USF graduate students and faculty are free; all other graduate students are $165, and all other faculty are $325.00. Remember, when you attend an AHEA conference, you receive a one-year membership to the Alliance. As always, attendees who pay to attend the AHEA in-person conference will receive a copy of the book, and coffee and pastries will be included each morning. Lunch is included at on Wednesday and Thursday.

Connect with education students, faculty, and professionals to exchange ideas on the latest trends and practices. Don't miss this chance to enhance your knowledge and grow your network in a welcoming and vibrant environment. We look forward to seeing you there!