Keynote:

Marketing Money: Making Financial Literacy Irresistible 

In this energizing keynote, Kelsey invites financial educators to think like marketers, not just advisors. Attendees will learn how to rebrand financial education using storytelling, visuals, cultural relevance, and emotionally intelligent language. Walk away with fresh tools to help students not only understand money – but connect with it, remember it, and use it with confidence.

Kelsey Goates, TexasBank

General Sessions:

More Than a Job: The Hidden Value of Student Employment in Financial Wellness

College students often apply for campus jobs just to earn a paycheck, unaware of the professional growth they may gain. Many expect routine tasks, but some unknowingly step into roles that provide full-time career experience, especially in financial wellness. This session explores how campus employment in financial wellness offers more than just a paycheck through the lens of student employees, showcasing how these roles foster leadership, financial coaching skills, and career readiness.

Gabby Pringle-Onwunaka, Maddie Baird & Shay Meeks: Texas Woman's University, Student Money Management Center

2025 Federal Update

There has been substantial media coverage about changes to postsecondary education in Washington, D.C. This session will provide an overview of current changes, proposed changes, and potential changes that impact institutions of higher education and the students that they serve. A specific focus will be paid towards items that impact student financial aid and student basic needs.

Bryan Ashton, Trellis Strategies

Breakout Sessions:

The AI Toolkit for Financial Wellness Programs: Creativity, Campaigns, and Student Engagement

Artificial Intelligence isn’t just reshaping the business world—it’s opening up new doors for financial wellness programs in higher education. Whether you're planning your next workshop, designing a student challenge, or dreaming up an app or game, AI can help you do it faster, smarter, and more creatively.

In this session, we’ll begin with the basics:

Then we’ll go hands-on:

You’ll leave with practical tools, prompt templates, and inspiration for how to make your next initiative more engaging—and less time-consuming. Perfect for beginners and curious explorers alike.

Joseph Reinke, FitBUX, Inc.

Empowering Families, Engaging Students: Promoting Financial Literacy Through Campus Partnerships

This initiative showcases how Family Weekend was transformed into a platform for promoting financial literacy through campus collaboration and creative engagement strategies. By gamifying the learning experience, we successfully involved parents and guardians in meaningful financial education alongside their students.

Dr. Juan Gallardo, Tarleton State University, Texan Smart Financial Education

$mart Partnerships, $marter Students: Leveraging Community Partnerships for Student Financial Wellness 

Join us as we explore the dynamic partnership between West Texas A&M University’s Buff $mart Program and Education Credit Union – a collaborative effort that is shaping financial education on campus. This session will provide a practical look at how external partnerships can enhance student support services and expand access to essential financial literacy resources. We’ll highlight the structure, goals, and outcomes of our ongoing collaboration, including the innovative strategies we've implemented to engage students, measure impact, and foster long-term financial wellness. Attendees will leave with actionable insights and a framework for building or enhancing partnerships at their own institutions. Whether you're launching a new financial wellness initiative or seeking to strengthen existing efforts, this session offers a valuable case study in leveraging community partnerships for student success.

Meghan Williams, West Texas A&M University, ECU Buff $mart Program

Colten Hibbs, Education Credit Union, Financial Health Coordinator

Broke, Burned Out, and Still Enrolled: Supporting Students with No Safety Net

Let's be honest, college students today are juggling a lot. Between tuition, rent, part-time jobs, family obligations, and the pressure to stay on track academically, there is often zero room for things to go wrong. For students without a financial safety net, something as small as a flat tire, a missed paycheck, or a delayed financial aid refund can send everything into a spiral. And it’s not just about the money, it's about what that stress does to a student’s mental health, focus, and motivation to stay enrolled. This session is all about helping campuses, especially those that don’t have a dedicated money management office, find realistic, low-cost ways to support students who are just trying to survive. It’s rooted in what’s actually happening on Texas campuses right now: limited funding, overworked staff, and students who are stretched to the max emotionally and financially. We’ll start with stories and data to ground the conversation in the real student experience, like the student who’s couch surfing to make it through the semester, or the one choosing between buying gas or buying groceries. These are the students who are still showing up, still enrolled, but hanging on by a thread. Then we’ll dig into the emotional weight of financial instability, things like burnout, anxiety, imposter syndrome, and how those issues show up in classrooms, advising sessions, and everyday interactions on campus. From there, we’ll shift into solution mode. We’ll introduce a toolkit designed for campuses that don’t have a money management program or big mental health budgets. You’ll get ideas for how to plug financial wellness into spaces that already exist, like orientation, first-year experience classes, or collaborations with counseling centers and basic needs offices. We’ll also talk about how to host low-cost, judgment-free events like drop-in Money & Mindset sessions or reflection-based workshops that help students connect the dots between their finances and their mental health. By the end, you'll walk away with practical ideas you can actually use, whether you’re working solo or part of a small-but-mighty team. Most importantly, you’ll leave feeling less alone in this work and more connected to a community of folks who care just as much about helping students stay enrolled, grounded, and well, even when life is doing everything it can to knock them off track.

Caroline Hoang, Austin Community College

Navigating the Partnership: Financial Wellness Centers and Financial Aid Offices

Financial wellness offices are becoming more common at universities, offering vital support for students, financial education and well-being. However, their work can sometimes unintentionally overlap with the responsibilities of financial aid offices. This session will explore the experiences of TWU’s Student Money Management Center, focusing on strategies to collaborate effectively with financial aid offices, enhance student support, and ensure a unified approach to student success. This session will share the experiences, challenges, and lessons learned by the SMMC in navigating its relationship with the Financial Aid Office. The goal is to equip attendees with strategies to create partnerships that allow financial wellness offices to fulfill their purpose without unintentionally stepping on the toes of financial aid professionals.

Gabby Pringle-Onwunaka, Texas Woman’s University, Student Money Management Center

Maximizing Educational Value: Strategies for Funding and Student Success

Students often struggle to see the long-term value of their education, and financial barriers can make higher education feel unattainable. This session will provide practical strategies for helping students understand the return on investment in their education while exploring creative ways to finance their tuition. Additionally, we will discuss coaching techniques that empower students to succeed academically and professionally.

Marissa Burill, Austin Community College