Wednesday, October 7th, 2026
5:00 PM	Welcome Reception Gull Lake Center, Lobby (Cash bar available)
6:00 PM	Welcome Dinner Gull Lake Center, Ballroom B (Cash bar available)
7:30 PM	Minnesota School Licensing & Policy Update Amy Aho, PELSB Board Chair; Speech Language Pathologist, Brainerd ISD 181 Kurt Stumpf, PELSB Board Member; Superintendent, Pequot Lake Public Schools Kim Lewis, Associate Director of Government Relations, Minnesota School Boards Association Tiffany Gustin, Director of Management and Insurance Trust Services, Minnesota School Boards Association Minnesota school HR leaders have experienced significant changes in state regulation and educator licensure. The first part of this two-part conference opening session will translate current PELSB initiatives into practical implications for school districts. Topics will include PELSB’s efforts to streamline Minnesota’s more than 80 licensure fields, potential changes to license scope and pathways, and the continued reliance on Out-of-Field Permissions to address staffing shortages.   The session will then turn to the 2027 regulatory outlook. The November 2026 Election includes the Governor, State Senate, and State House, creating several plausible combinations of unified and divided government. We will examine what different election outcomes could mean for the issues most likely to affect school employers, including educator workforce and licensure policy, employment mandates, benefits, school funding, and regulatory requirements.  Amy Aho PELSB Board Chair Speech Language Pathologist, Brainerd ISD 181 Kurt Stumpf PELSB Board Chair PELSB Board Member Superintendent, Pequot Lake Public Schools Kim Lewis Associate Director of Government Relations Minnesota School Boards Association Tiffany Gustin Director of Management and Insurance Trust Services Minnesota School Boards Association Attachments: (pdf)
Thursday, October 8th, 2026
6:30 AM	Breakfast Main Lodge, Heritage Room
8:30 PM	From Curiosity to Capability: Building Practical AI Skills for K-12 HR Leaders Gull Lake Center, Ballroom B Dr. Joey Pearson, AI Learning & Enablement Director, Colibri Group Brought to you by: This interactive workshop is designed specifically for school district HR leaders in Minnesota. Participants will spend the day actively working with AI. Together we will explore authentic HR challenges, experiment with AI tools, collaborate with peers, build practical resources, and discuss responsible implementation strategies that participants can immediately apply within their districts. Participants will: Understand how generative AI is transforming K–12 human resources Learn practical prompting and workflow strategies Build and test AI-assisted solutions to authentic HR challenges Explore responsible AI use, governance, and human oversight Develop confidence evaluating AI-generated outputs Leave with practical prompts, resources, and workflows they can begin using immediately This workshop emphasizes: Hands-on exploration Guided experimentation Collaborative problem-solving Small-group design activities Real district scenarios Practical application over theory This workshop is designed to empower school district HR leaders to become confident builders who understand how AI can responsibly strengthen your own leadership and organizational practice. Dr. Joey Pearson serves as AI Learning & Enablement Director at Colibri Group, where he leads enterprise AI learning strategy and develops practical AI learning experiences for professionals across multiple industries. He previously served as Head of Community at Moreland University, supporting more than 10,000 educators across 165 countries. Dr. Pearson has presented nationally on artificial intelligence, workforce development, and educator preparation for organizations including FETC, AAEE, ACTFL, NASDTEC, and Five states’ Associations of School Personnel Administrators. His doctoral research at UCLA focused on AI-enabled professional learning and collaborative online learning design. His recently published his first book, "Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Transform Teacher Education Accreditation." His workshops are known for combining research, practical application, collaborative learning, and an engaging builder mindset that helps participants leave inspired and equipped to begin using AI responsibly in their own organizations. Participants leave energized, inspired, and empowered. Attachments: (pdf)
12:00 PM	Lunch Gull Lake Center, Margaret Room Brought to you by:
1:00 PM	Practical AI Skills, Continued Gull Lake Center, Ballroom B
Afternoon Activities Choose your own adventure
3:00 PM	MASPA 9-Hole Scramble Golf The Pines Golf Course
4:00 PM	Gull Lake Pontoon Cruise Weather Permitting Meet at Waterfront Office
4:00 PM	Crafting Circle Use provided beading materials, canvases, and paints, or bring your own craft to work on!
5:30 PM	Networking & Social Hour Gull Lake Center, Lobby (Cash bar available)
6:30 PM	Dinner Gull Lake Center, Ballroom B (Cash bar available)
7:30 PM	* CASINO NIGHT * Gull Lake Center, Lobby (Cash bar available) Brought to you by:
Friday, October 9th, 2026
7:00 AM	Breakfast Main Lodge, Heritage Room
8:15 AM	MASPA Business Meeting Gull Lake Center, Ballroom B
8:30 AM	Choose Your Own AI Adventure: Smarter HR by Function Gull Lake Center, Ballroom B Shift from learning about AI to deciding where it can make the biggest difference in your work. Based on attendee interests gathered before the conference, participants will choose an HR-focused breakout such as Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, Total Rewards, or another high-priority area. Each group will explore practical ways AI can improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden, and support better decisions when HR teams are being asked to do more with fewer resources. Facilitators will guide strategy, share examples, and introduce selected tools and workflows. The goal is not to master every tool. It is to leave with a clearer sense of where AI can create real value in your HR function and what to try next. Attachments: Presentation
10:00 AM	Morning Break & Lodging Checkout
10:30 AM	Legal Update for School Personnel Administrators Gull Lake Center, Ballroom B John Edison, Shareholder, Squires, Waldspurger & Mace, P.A. John Edison is a shareholder with Squires, Waldspurger & Mace P.A. John believes government can be a force for good. He has devoted his entire legal career to working with cities, counties, school districts and other government entities. As an advocate, John appears in state and federal courts, administrative agency hearings, arbitration hearings and mediations in a wide variety of matters impacting school and municipal clients. As an advisor, he works with clients to find practical, cost-effective solutions to a broad range of issues, such as labor and employment matters, open meetings and data privacy issues, conducting investigations, Title IX compliance, student discipline, special education, and drafting and reviewing contracts, ordinances, resolutions and other documents. John’s practice also includes acting as a lead negotiator for collective bargaining and providing training on topics relevant to the firm’s school and municipal clients. Before transitioning to private practice, John worked as a law clerk and Assistant County Attorney in the Civil Division of the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office in St. Paul, Minnesota. John received a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of North Dakota and his J.D., summa cum laude, from the Hamline University School of Law. Attachments: Presentation Presentation Handout
12:00 PM	Lunch Gull Lake Center, Lobby (To-go boxed lunches will be made available)