27^th Annual Conference
BEYOND BOUNDARIES

Thursday, November 20 & Friday, November 21, 2025
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa | San Antonio, Texas

About

Our two-day Annual Conference is designed to encourage conversation and inspire professional advancement through a series of short, dynamic presentations from industry leaders and networking events. Each year, the topic of the Conference centers around leadership with over 250 members in attendance. The Conference fee is included in the yearly membership dues. The 27th Annual Conference takes place on Thursday, November 20 and Friday, November 21, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas.

Features

Learn Best Practices
Discuss Leadership
Receive CLE Credit
Connect with Peers

2025 Conference Schedule

Thursday, November 20, 2025

12:00 PM – 1:45 PM	Kick-Off Welcome Luncheon: AI Behaving Badly Karen A. Delaney \| Principal, Delaney Legal PLLC Jennifer Judge \| Chief Legal Officer, Destination Pet, LLC
2:00 PM – 2:20 PM	Talk 01: Shields Ready: Planning for Near- and Long-term Cyber Resilience Ernesto Ballesteros \| Cybersecurity State Coordinator of Texas, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
2:20 PM – 2:40 PM	Talk 02: From Growth to Change: A Look at Demographic Trends in Texas Monica Cruz, Ph.D. \| State Data Center Lead, Texas Demographic Center
2:40 PM – 3:10 PM	Networking Break w/ Snacks
3:20 PM – 3:40 PM	Talk 03: Stronger Together: Leading Teams with Empathy Katharine Manning \| President and Founder, Blackbird LLC
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM	Talk 04: Tackling Change Edward Stewart \| Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director, University of Southern California
4:00 PM – 4:05 PM	Thank You & Housekeeping Thank You & Housekeeping Announcements
6:00 PM	Magna Stella Awards Dinner (Separate Ticket Required)

Friday, November 21, 2025

8:15 AM - 8:55 AM	Networking Breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM	Gathering, Thank You & Housekeeping Announcements
9:10 AM - 9:30 AM	Talk 05: Every Defense Needs a Great Offense: Seeing Beyond The Limits Of Traditional Defense Strategy Matt Sheldon \| Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Navient
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM	Talk 06: Leadership Lessons from an Eight Year Old Caren Lock \| Managing Director & Government Relations Officer, TIAA
9:50 AM - 10:10 AM	Talk 07: Being a Confident Leader…All the Time! Robin Pou \| Chief Advisor & Strategist, Robin Pou, Inc.
10:10 AM - 10:40 AM	Networking Break w/ Snacks
10:40 AM - 11:00 AM	Talk 08: AI-Native Justice: Redrawing the Dispute Resolution Map Bridget M. McCormack \| President & CEO, American Arbitration Association^® - International Centre for Dispute Resolution^®
11:00 AM - 11:20 AM	Talk 09: TBD Richie Butler \| Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Project Unity
11:20 AM - 11:59 AM	Talk 10: General Counsel Privilege: Reducing In-House Counsel Exposure Trey Cox \| Partner, Gibson Dunn Alan Dabdoub \| Partner, Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann
12:00 PM - 12:10 PM	Thank You, Evaluations, Prize Drawings & 2026 Save the Date
12:00 PM - 2:30 PM	Farewell Celebration Lunch

Annual Conference is Free for Members

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2025 Forum Room Block

If you are interested in booking rooms at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa, we have secured a special room rate of $248/night (includes fees before taxes). To book online within our block, please click here. Alternatively, you can call 1-800-233-1234 and reference our group code G-TG25. This rate is only guaranteed through October 29th.

Cancellation/Refunds: All reservations are final after October 29th. After this date, no cancellations or room refunds will be provided.

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20^th Annual Magna Stella^® Awards Dinner

The Magna Stella^®Awards program recognizes in-house excellence in Texas corporations, organizations and government agencies. Stella winners are shining examples of the type of leadership the Forum strives to exemplify in its membership. Our 2025 Magna Stella winners will be honored at the Annual Magna Stella Awards Dinner on the first night of our Annual Conference, Thursday, November 20, 2025. Dinner attendance is not included in Conference registration. Attire is cocktail.

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