Wendi Rios, Mistress of Ceremony
Texas State University
Manager, Corporate & Alumni Engagement, McCoy College of Business
Jennifer Speed, Speaker
Texas State University
Assistant Vice President for Research Development, Division of Research
Aimee Kendall Roundtree, Speaker
Texas State University
Dr. Roundtree is an Assistant Vice President for Research in the Division of Research and a full professor in the technical communication program. She has also served as a Faculty Fellow for the Division of Research and an Associate Dean of Research in the College of Liberal Arts, as well as a director of the master's degree programs in technical communication at Texas State University and the University of Houston-Downtown. She has experience as a coordinator, medical writer, researcher, communication specialist, and public affairs specialist for organizations such as the Texas Medical Foundation, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. She investigates research and STEM communication, rhetoric, and ethics, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine. In particular, her work interrogates points of translation and transaction between experts, policymakers, organizations, and the public, as well as human and non-human agents. She has expertise in qualitative and mixed methods research, including usability and user experience research, heuristic evaluation, text mining, systematic and integrative reviews, meta-analyses, survey studies, focus groups, and interviews. She is the editor of the Research Management Review and an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication. She is also an editorial and review board member of the Journal of Research Administration, Technical Communication Quarterly, Programmatic Perspectives, and Writing Across the Curriculum Clearinghouse. She serves on the board of the Association of the Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Knowbility, and ACCEYSS. She serves on review panels evaluating grants for NSF, NIH, NEH, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, among others.
Jorge Francisco Figueroa Flores, Speaker
Texas State University
Dr. Flores is the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and a Professor of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies at Texas State University (TXST). Before joining TXST, he served as the Vice Provost for Curriculum and Strategic Initiatives and as a Professor of Bilingual and ESL Education at Texas Woman's University (TWU). Prior to his role as Vice Provost at TWU, he was the Associate Dean for Research, Inclusion, and Innovation in the College of Professional Education. Before moving to Texas, he worked for 17 years at the Ana G. Mendez University System, including 10 years at Universidad del Este (now UAGM-Carolina), where he was an Associate Professor of English and ESL Education and held several administrative roles, including the inaugural Executive Director for the Student Leadership Institute. With over 25 years of experience in higher education, he has also taught as an adjunct faculty member at various institutions including Penn State University, Walden University, the University of Puerto Rico, and the University of North Texas-Dallas. He has provided specialized training to many pre-service and in-service teachers across the United States, Latin America, and Europe. Figueroa Flores holds a BA in Social Sciences from Universidad de Puerto Rico-Cayey, an MA in TESOL and Bilingual Education from the University of Findlay, and a PhD in Professional Studies in Education from Capella University. He also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Information and Communication Technologies in Education at Universidad de Córdoba in Spain and is a member of Cátedra ESCALAE at Universidad de Málaga in Spain. Additionally, he has completed numerous executive education fellowships, including the New Leadership Academy at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, the Executive Leadership Academy at UC-Berkeley, the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership at Arizona State University and Georgetown University, HACU's La Academia de Liderazgo, and the AASCU-AALI BAPA program.
Angela Ausbrooks, Speaker
Texas State University
Dr. Ausbrooks became Dean of the College of Applied Arts in 2025 after serving two years as Interim Dean. She holds a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) degree and a PhD in Social Work, both from the University of Texas at Austin. She has held her faculty appointment at Texas State University since 2006.
Shetay Ashford-Hanserd, Speaker
Texas State University
Dr. Ashford-Hanserd is Chair and Professor of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies at Texas State University. She has helped spearhead the development of the Texas Workforce Innovation Summit and the launch of the Texas Workforce Innovation & Research Center, both designed to strengthen connections among education, workforce development, industry, and emerging talent. An award-winning scholar and principal investigator with more than $11 million in external funding, her work focuses on building workforce development ecosystems that connect education, technology, industry, and community partnerships. Under her leadership, OWLS launched its Aviation program in 2024 and introduced new workforce-aligned degrees in Information Technology, Data Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence in Fall 2026, helping prepare learners for high-demand careers and the future of work.