2026 CEAD Keynote Speaker

This year, the conference continues to center community, belonging, and navigating conversations around identity and equity, especially within rural contexts. The keynote speaker, Eliot Feenstra (he/they) from Oregon Humanities and Oregon’s Kitchen Table, brings extensive experience facilitating thoughtful, grounded conversations across differences. Drawing from both lived experience and professional work, Eliot will share stories of building meaningful connections and invite students to reflect on how they can show up for one another in authentic and supportive ways. Through his work, he has helped communities across Oregon engage in meaningful dialogue around complex issues, with a focus on listening, shared understanding, and finding common ground. His approach, centered on curiosity, care, and connection, makes him especially well-suited to help set the tone for this year’s conference.

2026 CEAD Conference Goals

At a time when there is a growing need to engage in conversations about responsibility, empathy, and what it means to support one another across differences, this year’s CEAD Conference offers an opportunity for students to come together, listen deeply, and build stronger connections within the campus community. This year’s theme, “What Helps Us Feel Like We Belong?” invites students to reflect on what belonging means to them, and use storytelling as a way to foster meaningful relationships and build community. EOU remains committed to fostering a campus environment where all students, faculty, and staff feel a meaningful sense of connection and support. The CEAD Conference is one way the university continues to invest in opportunities for open dialogue, reflection, and shared responsibility in building a strong and connected campus community.

This year’s CEAD Conference also offers a unique opportunity to participate in a facilitated statewide conversation about belonging in higher education. Through storytelling and shared experiences, Oregon’s Kitchen Table (opens in a new tab) and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) (opens in a new tab) hope to gather the voices of college students from across Oregon to better understand what it means to belong (or not belong) in our campuses and communities. For students in rural Eastern Oregon, this conversation is especially important. Too often, assumptions and biases shape how people view rural communities and the students who live here. This is your chance to share your experiences, perspectives, and stories in a space where they can help inform conversations and decisions about the future of higher education across the state. Your voice matters, and this is an opportunity to ensure rural student experiences are heard, valued, and represented.

The CEAD Conference aims to:

• Provide opportunities for students to engage with individuals whose backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives differ from their own, fostering a broader understanding of diverse experiences
• Support personal growth and the development of critical thinking skills, helping students approach diversity-related challenges as opportunities for learning and growth
• Encourage participants to develop leadership skills that actively recognize and advance the benefits of diverse perspectives.
• Strengthen students’ understanding of power, privilege, bias, and stereotypes, and how these factors influence interactions and perceptions of diversity

Student Learning Outcomes

The CEAD Conference supports EOU’s mission to prepare students for leadership rooted in thoughtful reflection and engagement. Students will have the opportunity to:

• Deepen their understanding of how social dynamics, such as access, influence, and representation, impact individuals and communities
• Explore how personal experiences and cultural influences shape beliefs, behaviors, and decision-making
• Strengthen their ability to engage in respectful conversations that bridge differences and encourage connection
• Practice listening and communication techniques that promote understanding, trust, and collaboration

The CEAD Conference offers a unique opportunity for participants to broaden their worldview, challenge their perspectives, and build skills that contribute to strong, healthy relationships—on campus and beyond.