THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2026

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Welcome, 40 Years of Excellence, Innovation & Collaboration
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

 

Welcome to a milestone moment—SWACC’s 40th Anniversary! For four decades, the Statewide Association of Community Colleges (SWACC) has been a pillar of support, innovation, and collaboration for California’s community colleges. This conference honors the journey of excellence and previews the exciting future ahead.

 

Ann-Marie Gabel, Vice Chancellor of Business Services at South Orange County Community College District (SWACC President)

Colleen Bjerknes, SWACC JPA Manager at Keenan​

 

Property & Liability Market Outlook  

9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.  

          

The property and liability insurance market in 2026 remains challenging, with high catastrophe losses, inflationary pressures, and evolving underwriting strategies shaping the landscape. SWACC’s self-funded model offers resilience through risk retention and strategic transfer.

 

John Stephens, Chief Executive Officer at Keenan and Accretive Insurance Solutions​

 

Break
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.          

 

Memorandum of Coverage (MOC): How am I Supposed to Read This?
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  

        

Insurance document text can feel and read like a foreign language especially in today’s complex insurance and risk environment.  This session will break down the SWACC Memorandum of Coverage (MOC) into common sense parts allowing SWACC members to understand the MOC structure and its key terms in relation to a loss.  What is covered, what is not covered and why?  The session’s goal is to leave SWACC members with an insight as to navigating the MOC as well as interpretation of MOC language.

 

Nicole Fayaz, Director of Account Management at Keenan

Eric Lucas, Senior Vice President at Keenan​

                                               

Lunch
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.            

 

Panel: Legislation in Motion: Navigating New Laws in California Community Colleges

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

             

This legal panel decodes recent and emerging California and federal laws and other legal developments that affect community college operations, governance, and student services. Experienced higher education attorneys and campus leaders will translate legal language into practical steps for compliance, policy updates, and operational change.​

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Mellissa Gallegos, Partner at Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo

Aaron O’Donnell, Partner at Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo

Cindy Vyskocil, Vice Chancellor of Human Resources at South Orange County Community College District

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Understanding and Risk Managing Sexual Abuse & Molestation Exposure in a CCD Environment

2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.             

 

As colleges expand their educational environments to attract more students, this inherently leads to new and growing liability exposures requiring unique and admittedly challenging risk management techniques to adequately protect the students and the college. Fortunately, our sister JPAs, SCR and NCR, have been addressing this exposure for many years, which has resulted in a vast library of resources, best practices, and knowledge to help colleges as they build their Sexual Abuse and Molestation (SAM) prevention programs. This session will help members understand the environmental and programmatic conditions commonly found on school campuses that can contribute to undesirable acts and behaviors, and will review best-practice risk management strategies to mitigate these exposures.

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Dianna Poulin, Director of Loss Control at Keenan

Eric Preston, Senior Vice President of Property & Casualty at Keenan

Jody Shipper, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Grand River Solutions​

 

Break

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.            

 

Indistinguishable: Leveraging Your AI-Powered Team

3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

           

Steam power, electricity, the internet, and artificial intelligence. We live in the midst of a rare, historic transformation reshaping the globe. However, for many, this new AI-powered era is cluttered with obvious AI outputs, fake videos, and content that feels anything but human, which raises the question: How are normal people using AI to produce meaningful results?

 

In this session, we'll explore the concept of "Indistinguishable," where real professionals are using artificial intelligence as a dedicated team of assistants’ integral to their daily work, producing outcomes above and beyond their traditional capability, and in a manner indistinguishable from their normal way of working.

 

Jessica Blushi, Vice President of Property & Casualty Marketing at Keenan

Tim Femister, Managing Principal at Firestorm Global LLC

Felipe Lopez, Executive Vice President of Business/Assistant Superintendent at Cerritos Community College District

 

Adjourn

5:00 p.m.                                

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2026

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Safeguarding Success: Leveraging the New Minors on Campus Guide for Confident, Compliant Decision‑Making

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.           

 

This presentation introduces the new Minors on Campus Guide for community colleges, developed by LCW in partnership with SWACC. Come learn the purpose and structure of the guide and how it can be applied to common minors-on-campus scenarios. Through practical case studies and hypotheticals, we will demonstrate best practices for effectively using the guide to manage risk and ensure compliance.

 

Amy Brandt, Partner at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

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Understanding and Preventing Employment Practice Liability (EPL) Claims

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.           

 

This two‑part program dives into one of SWACC’s most significant loss drivers, employment practices liability (EPL) claims, by exploring a real‑world scenario from two different angles.

 

Part 1: John Doe vs. XYZ Community College District: You Are the Jury!

Come be the juror at this session where a former District classified employee is alleging wrongful termination for reporting concerns about racially biased disciplinary actions. You will hear arguments from both the plaintiff and defendant attorneys, along with testimony from those involved. At the end, you will determine the verdict!

 

Part 2: The Intervention Option: A Unique Approach to Avoid Lawsuits

When employee tensions are high and communications are strained between human resources, supervisors and employees, EPL claims become far more likely. During these challenging interactions, what if there was a way to intervene before frustration leads to a claim? What could an intervention process look like? Join this session to observe one possible intervention method. We’ll be bringing in a third party to address the same scenario presented in the jury trial, engaging with all the same individuals to de-escalate the situation.

 

Salvatore Abbate, Director of Human Resources at Solano Community College

Jeff Johnston, Vice President at Keenan

Star Leal, Founding Attorney at Leal Law Group, APC

Gerry Preciado, President & Principal Consultant at 34th Street Consulting

Morgan Turner, Vice President of Business Services/CFO at Feather River College

Susan Wheet, Vice President, Finance, and Administration at Solano Community College District

 

General Wrap-Up & Adjourn

12:00 p.m.                              

 

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