The Future Sessions
Build a communications strategy and advance your leadership skills.
July 29 – August 1, 2025 | Chester, CT
Build a communications strategy and advance your leadership skills.
July 29 – August 1, 2025 | Chester, CT
Build a communications strategy & advance your leadership skills.
July 29 – August 1, 2025 Chester, CT
Overview
The Future Sessions is an exclusive conference for communications, marketing, and strategic leaders at higher education and nonprofit institutions looking to refresh and rejuvenate their work.
Who Should Attend
Vice presidents and senior leaders guiding institutional strategies and overseeing major initiatives.
Directors managing teams and driving day-to-day execution of communications plans.
Managers focused on project coordination, messaging, and operational success.
Rising stars ready to take on greater responsibilities and make a bigger impact.
What You'll Gain
Empower your vision: Align your professional and personal passions into a cohesive strategy.
Build your network: Form lasting connections with professionals facing similar challenges.
Engage and reflect: Participate in immersive outdoor experiences that inspire creativity.
Leave transformed: Exit with a tailored strategy built for activation.
Overview
The Future Sessions is an exclusive conference for communications, marketing, and strategic leaders at higher education and nonprofit institutions looking to refresh and rejuvenate their work.
Who Should Attend
Vice presidents and senior leaders guiding institutional strategies and overseeing major initiatives.
Directors managing teams and driving day-to-day execution of communications plans.
Managers focused on project coordination, messaging, and operational success.
Rising stars ready to take on greater responsibilities and make a bigger impact.
What You'll Gain
Empower your vision: Align your professional and personal passions into a cohesive strategy.
Build your network: Form lasting connections with professionals facing similar challenges.
Engage and reflect: Participate in immersive outdoor experiences that inspire creativity.
Leave transformed: Exit with a tailored strategy built for activation.
Program Topics
Over three immersive days, The Future Sessions blends strategic thinking, practical skill-building, and peer collaboration to help you move from idea to action. Through structured sessions, outdoor reflection, and honest conversation, you'll develop a strategy you believe in and the tools to bring others along.
Through the program, you will:
Surface multiple strategic possibilities and prioritize the one with the greatest potential.
Draft a communications strategy grounded in both institutional priorities and personal purpose.
Practice techniques for active listening and leading difficult conversations, building skills to address resistance points, build-buy in, and gain alignment around your strategy.
Present your draft strategy, gather feedback from peers, and chart a 30-day implementation plan.
Overview
The Future Sessions is an exclusive conference for communications, marketing, and strategic leaders at higher education and nonprofit institutions looking to refresh and rejuvenate their work.
Who Should Attend
Vice presidents and senior leaders guiding institutional strategies and overseeing major initiatives.
Directors managing teams and driving day-to-day execution of communications plans.
Managers focused on project coordination, messaging, and operational success.
Rising stars ready to take on greater responsibilities and make a bigger impact.
What You'll Gain
Empower your vision: Align your professional and personal passions into a cohesive strategy.
Build your network: Form lasting connections with professionals facing similar challenges.
Engage and reflect: Participate in immersive outdoor experiences that inspire creativity.
Leave transformed: Exit with a tailored strategy built for activation.
Through the program, you will:
Surface multiple strategic possibilities and prioritize the one with the greatest potential.
Draft a communications strategy grounded in both institutional priorities and personal purpose.
Practice techniques for active listening and leading difficult conversations, building skills to address resistance points, build-buy in, and gain alignment around your strategy.
Present your draft strategy, gather feedback from peers, and chart a 30-day implementation plan.
Engage with peers navigating similar challenges.
Step away from the day-to-day and reflect in a peaceful setting.
Engage in candid conversations with peers who are navigating similar leadership challenges.
Step away from the day-to-day and reflect in a peaceful setting.
Take part in outdoor activities that support strategic thinking.
Benefit from group discussions and individualized support.
Take part in outdoor activities that support strategic thinking.
Benefit from group discussions and individualized support.
Program Topics
Over three immersive days, The Future Sessions blends strategic thinking, practical skill-building, and peer collaboration to help you move from idea to action. Through structured sessions, outdoor reflection, and honest conversation, you'll develop a strategy you believe in and the tools to bring others along.
Through the program, you will:
Surface multiple strategic possibilities and prioritize the one with the greatest potential.
Draft a communications strategy grounded in both institutional priorities and personal purpose.
Practice techniques for active listening and leading difficult conversations, building skills to address resistance points, build-buy in, and gain alignment around your strategy.
Present your draft strategy, gather feedback from peers, and chart a 30-day implementation plan.
Engage with peers who are navigating similar challenges.
Step away from the day-to-day and reflect in a peaceful setting.
Engage with peers who are navigating similar challenges.
Step away from the day-to-day and reflect in a peaceful setting.
Take part in outdoor activities that support strategic thinking.
Benefit from group discussions and individualized support.
Take part in outdoor activities that support strategic thinking.
Benefit from group discussions and individualized support.
Overview
The Future Sessions is an exclusive conference for communications, marketing, and strategic leaders at higher education and nonprofit institutions looking to refresh and rejuvenate their work.
Who Should Attend
Vice presidents and senior leaders guiding institutional strategies and overseeing major initiatives.
Directors managing teams and driving day-to-day execution of communications plans.
Managers focused on project coordination, messaging, and operational success.
Rising stars ready to take on greater responsibilities and make a bigger impact.
What You'll Gain
Empower your vision: Align your professional and personal passions into a cohesive strategy.
Build your network: Form lasting connections with professionals facing similar challenges.
Engage and reflect: Participate in immersive outdoor experiences that inspire creativity.
Leave transformed: Exit with a tailored strategy built for activation.
Who You'll Learn From
Pete Mackey, Ph.D., founder and president of Mackey Strategies, has developed his expertise in strategic thinking, team-building, planning, marketing, and communications across 30 years in leadership roles at private and public institutions in the U.S. and Europe. As the top communications executive at Amherst College, Bucknell University, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Science Foundation Ireland, and the University of South Carolina, he built transformative communications operations and re-shaped how these institutions connect with their audiences. As a consultant, he has worked with more than 50 colleges, universities, and nonprofits on communications and marketing challenges of every kind.
Who You'll Learn From
Pete Mackey, Ph.D., founder and president of Mackey Strategies, has developed his expertise in strategic thinking, team-building, planning, marketing, and communications across 30 years in leadership roles at private and public institutions in the U.S. and Europe. As the top communications executive at Amherst College, Bucknell University, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Science Foundation Ireland, and the University of South Carolina, he built transformative communications operations and re-shaped how these institutions connect with their audiences. As a consultant, he has worked with more than 50 colleges, universities, and nonprofits on communications and marketing challenges of every kind.
Who You'll Learn From
Pete Mackey, Ph.D., founder and president of Mackey Strategies, has developed his expertise in strategic thinking, team-building, planning, marketing, and communications across 30 years in leadership roles at private and public institutions in the U.S. and Europe. As the top communications executive at Amherst College, Bucknell University, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Science Foundation Ireland, and the University of South Carolina, he built transformative communications operations and re-shaped how these institutions connect with their audiences. As a consultant, he has worked with more than 50 colleges, universities, and nonprofits on communications and marketing challenges of every kind.
Who You'll Learn From
Pete Mackey, Ph.D., founder and president of Mackey Strategies, has developed his expertise in strategic thinking, team-building, planning, marketing, and communications across 30 years in leadership roles at private and public institutions in the U.S. and Europe. As the top communications executive at Amherst College, Bucknell University, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Science Foundation Ireland, and the University of South Carolina, he built transformative communications operations and re-shaped how these institutions connect with their audiences. As a consultant, he has worked with more than 50 colleges, universities, and nonprofits on communications and marketing challenges of every kind.
What Participants Say
“The Future Sessions was the single best professional development experience I’ve had in my career. The program not only helps you master the tools, it restores your faith in your own potential and renews your enthusiasm for the work.”
— Ben Jones, Assistant Vice President of Admissions Communications, Oberlin College
“I’m so glad I decided to attend the Future Sessions. I’ve been in this field for a long time, but I now feel armed with a new toolkit that will help me to address any challenge and leverage every opportunity. I also gained a great network of smart colleagues from institutions across the country.”
— Barbara Stambaugh, Vice President for Communications, Franklin & Marshall College
“I arrived looking for anything that might refill my tank and offer me some tools I could wield to spark passion for the next half of my career journey. What I didn’t expect was how much I would draw on the overall experience as well as the meaningful engagement and collaboration with all the participants to energize me in a very profound way across all aspects of my life.”
— Trevor Durham, Associate Vice President of Advancement, Washington State University Foundation
“The Future Sessions gave me the structure, information, feedback and time to craft and finish my strategic communications plan. More importantly, it gave me ways of thinking about how to integrate strategy into my daily work and get the buy-in I need from my division and my colleagues across campus.”
— Melissa Connolly, Vice President for Communications & Marketing, University at Albany, SUNY
“Our days were filled with strategy and big picture thinking, rather than simply learning new tools or tactics. Very few conferences or retreats have provided me that opportunity. I would strongly recommend the Future Sessions to anyone in a leadership position or on track for future leadership.”
— Santhana Naidu, Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
“The Future Sessions was a ‘boot camp’ in the best way — motivating us to examine thoughtfully, strategically and rigorously the ways we operate in our professional and personal lives, then to consider new possibilities as we move forward.”
— James Keogh, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Clark University
“I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the Future Sessions, but I left fulfilled, energized, and quite frankly, transformed.”
— Jenny Tate, Vice President of Marketing Communications, Mississippi College
What Participants Say
“The Future Sessions was the single best professional development experience I’ve had in my career. The program not only helps you master the tools, it restores your faith in your own potential and renews your enthusiasm for the work.”
— Ben Jones, Assistant Vice President of Admissions Communications, Oberlin College
“I’m so glad I decided to attend the Future Sessions. I’ve been in this field for a long time, but I now feel armed with a new toolkit that will help me to address any challenge and leverage every opportunity. I also gained a great network of smart colleagues from institutions across the country.”
— Barbara Stambaugh, Vice President for Communications, Franklin & Marshall College
“I arrived looking for anything that might refill my tank and offer me some tools I could wield to spark passion for the next half of my career journey. What I didn’t expect was how much I would draw on the overall experience as well as the meaningful engagement and collaboration with all the participants to energize me in a very profound way across all aspects of my life.”
— Trevor Durham, Associate Vice President of Advancement, Washington State University Foundation
“The Future Sessions gave me the structure, information, feedback and time to craft and finish my strategic communications plan. More importantly, it gave me ways of thinking about how to integrate strategy into my daily work and get the buy-in I need from my division and my colleagues across campus.”
— Melissa Connolly, Vice President for Communications & Marketing, University at Albany, SUNY
“Our days were filled with strategy and big picture thinking, rather than simply learning new tools or tactics. Very few conferences or retreats have provided me that opportunity. I would strongly recommend the Future Sessions to anyone in a leadership position or on track for future leadership.”
— Santhana Naidu, Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
“The Future Sessions was a ‘boot camp’ in the best way — motivating us to examine thoughtfully, strategically and rigorously the ways we operate in our professional and personal lives, then to consider new possibilities as we move forward.”
— James Keogh, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Clark University
“I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the Future Sessions, but I left fulfilled, energized, and quite frankly, transformed.”
— Jenny Tate, Vice President of Marketing Communications, Mississippi College
What Participants Say
“The Future Sessions was the single best professional development experience I’ve had in my career. The program not only helps you master the tools, it restores your faith in your own potential and renews your enthusiasm for the work.”
— Ben Jones, Assistant Vice President of Admissions Communications, Oberlin College
“I’m so glad I decided to attend the Future Sessions. I’ve been in this field for a long time, but I now feel armed with a new toolkit that will help me to address any challenge and leverage every opportunity. I also gained a great network of smart colleagues from institutions across the country.”
— Barbara Stambaugh, Vice President for Communications, Franklin & Marshall College
“I arrived looking for anything that might refill my tank and offer me some tools I could wield to spark passion for the next half of my career journey. What I didn’t expect was how much I would draw on the overall experience as well as the meaningful engagement and collaboration with all the participants to energize me in a very profound way across all aspects of my life.”
— Trevor Durham, Associate Vice President of Advancement, Washington State University Foundation
“The Future Sessions gave me the structure, information, feedback and time to craft and finish my strategic communications plan. More importantly, it gave me ways of thinking about how to integrate strategy into my daily work and get the buy-in I need from my division and my colleagues across campus.”
— Melissa Connolly, Vice President for Communications & Marketing, University at Albany, SUNY
“Our days were filled with strategy and big picture thinking, rather than simply learning new tools or tactics. Very few conferences or retreats have provided me that opportunity. I would strongly recommend the Future Sessions to anyone in a leadership position or on track for future leadership.”
— Santhana Naidu, Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
“The Future Sessions was a ‘boot camp’ in the best way — motivating us to examine thoughtfully, strategically and rigorously the ways we operate in our professional and personal lives, then to consider new possibilities as we move forward.”
— James Keogh, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Clark University
“I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the Future Sessions, but I left fulfilled, energized, and quite frankly, transformed.”
— Jenny Tate, Vice President of Marketing Communications, Mississippi College
What Participants Say
“The Future Sessions was the single best professional development experience I’ve had in my career. The program not only helps you master the tools, it restores your faith in your own potential and renews your enthusiasm for the work.”
— Ben Jones, Assistant Vice President of Admissions Communications, Oberlin College
“I’m so glad I decided to attend the Future Sessions. I’ve been in this field for a long time, but I now feel armed with a new toolkit that will help me to address any challenge and leverage every opportunity. I also gained a great network of smart colleagues from institutions across the country.”
— Barbara Stambaugh, Vice President for Communications, Franklin & Marshall College
“I arrived looking for anything that might refill my tank and offer me some tools I could wield to spark passion for the next half of my career journey. What I didn’t expect was how much I would draw on the overall experience as well as the meaningful engagement and collaboration with all the participants to energize me in a very profound way across all aspects of my life.”
— Trevor Durham, Associate Vice President of Advancement, Washington State University Foundation
“The Future Sessions gave me the structure, information, feedback and time to craft and finish my strategic communications plan. More importantly, it gave me ways of thinking about how to integrate strategy into my daily work and get the buy-in I need from my division and my colleagues across campus.”
— Melissa Connolly, Vice President for Communications & Marketing, University at Albany, SUNY
“Our days were filled with strategy and big picture thinking, rather than simply learning new tools or tactics. Very few conferences or retreats have provided me that opportunity. I would strongly recommend the Future Sessions to anyone in a leadership position or on track for future leadership.”
— Santhana Naidu, Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
“The Future Sessions was a ‘boot camp’ in the best way — motivating us to examine thoughtfully, strategically and rigorously the ways we operate in our professional and personal lives, then to consider new possibilities as we move forward.”
— James Keogh, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Clark University
“I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the Future Sessions, but I left fulfilled, energized, and quite frankly, transformed.”
— Jenny Tate, Vice President of Marketing Communications, Mississippi College
What Participants Say
“The Future Sessions was the single best professional development experience I’ve had in my career. The program not only helps you master the tools, it restores your faith in your own potential and renews your enthusiasm for the work.”
— Ben Jones, Assistant Vice President of Admissions Communications, Oberlin College
“I’m so glad I decided to attend the Future Sessions. I’ve been in this field for a long time, but I now feel armed with a new toolkit that will help me to address any challenge and leverage every opportunity. I also gained a great network of smart colleagues from institutions across the country.”
— Barbara Stambaugh, Vice President for Communications, Franklin & Marshall College
“I arrived looking for anything that might refill my tank and offer me some tools I could wield to spark passion for the next half of my career journey. What I didn’t expect was how much I would draw on the overall experience as well as the meaningful engagement and collaboration with all the participants to energize me in a very profound way across all aspects of my life.”
— Trevor Durham, Associate Vice President of Advancement, Washington State University Foundation
“The Future Sessions gave me the structure, information, feedback and time to craft and finish my strategic communications plan. More importantly, it gave me ways of thinking about how to integrate strategy into my daily work and get the buy-in I need from my division and my colleagues across campus.”
— Melissa Connolly, Vice President for Communications & Marketing, University at Albany, SUNY
“Our days were filled with strategy and big picture thinking, rather than simply learning new tools or tactics. Very few conferences or retreats have provided me that opportunity. I would strongly recommend the Future Sessions to anyone in a leadership position or on track for future leadership.”
— Santhana Naidu, Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
“The Future Sessions was a ‘boot camp’ in the best way — motivating us to examine thoughtfully, strategically and rigorously the ways we operate in our professional and personal lives, then to consider new possibilities as we move forward.”
— James Keogh, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Clark University
“I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the Future Sessions, but I left fulfilled, energized, and quite frankly, transformed.”
— Jenny Tate, Vice President of Marketing Communications, Mississippi College
Program Topics
Over three immersive days, The Future Sessions blends strategic thinking, practical skill-building, and peer collaboration to help you move from idea to action. Through structured sessions, outdoor reflection, and honest conversation, you'll develop a strategy you believe in—and the tools to bring others along. Through the program, you will:
Surface multiple strategic possibilities and prioritize the one with the greatest potential.
Draft a communications strategy grounded in both institutional priorities and personal purpose.
Practice techniques for active listening and leading difficult conversations, building skills to address resistance points, build-buy in, and gain alignment around your strategy.
Present your draft strategy, gather feedback from peers, and chart a 30-day implementation plan.
Engage with peers who are navigating similar challenges.
Step away from the day-to-day and reflect in a peaceful setting.
Engage with peers who are navigating similar challenges.
Step away from the day-to-day and reflect in a peaceful setting.
Take part in outdoor activities that support strategic thinking.
Benefit from group discussions and individualized support.
Take part in outdoor activities that support strategic thinking.
Benefit from group discussions and individualized support.
The future of your leadership starts here.
The future of your leadership starts here.
The future of your leadership starts here.
The future of your leadership starts here.
