[CVHEC Summit Program with AGENDA pg. 3]

The leaders of California’s four higher ed systems — including Maria Anguiano, vice chair of the University of California Board of Regents — will serve as the keynote panel at the 2026 Central Valley Higher Education Summit Friday April 24, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center.

Themed “Evolving Higher Education for an Emerging Future,” the annual summit is presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) Board of Directors that is made up of chancellors, presidents and campus directors of 28 institutions of higher education in the valley’s 10-county region.

Regent Anguiano, appointed in 2017, will join California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian; Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities President Kristen Soares; and California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia in one of four panels that feature legislators and a national higher ed leader.

More than 200 participants have registered for the event that is free thanks to support primarily by College Futures Foundation and several new sponsors this year. Registration is now sold out but a waitlist is available.

The summit participants will convene to explore the future of higher education in California’s Central Valley and beyond in the face of mounting challenges under the current White House administration, said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

“The 2026 CVHEC Summit will draw educators, policymakers, and community leaders from across California for a day of dialogue, partnership and forward-looking solutions,” Durán said. “We will hear from elected legislators who develop litigation that affect the region. We will also address the new strategy direction the CVHEC board is undertaking for the next few years.”

Those new priorities are artificial intelligence, workforce alignment, data sharing and enrollment/re-enrollment.

CVHEC Board Chair Dr. Juan Muñoz, UC Merced chancellor, will welcome the participants at 10 a.m. followed by Durán delivering opening remarks and agenda updates. Members of the CVHEC board will introduce and moderate the four panels that are planned in the official agenda CVHEC released this week.

The line-up includes a presentation with Dr. Dhanfu Elston, senior vice president for strategy and chief of staff at Complete College America (CCA), a national non-profit organization based in Indianapolis that works to increase college completion rates and close attainment gaps for underrepresented students.  CVHEC is one of 53 CCA alliance members — states, systems and consortia — participating in the CCA Alliance nationwide. 

Four area legislators will serve on the Legislative Panel “Partnership and Policy: Advancing Higher Education in the Central Valley” — State Senators Anna Caballero and Shannon Grove; and State Assemblymembers Joaquin Arambula and Esmeralda Soria.

(See the full story and photo – April 2026 newsletter).