Annual Conference

This year’s conference theme, Sustainable Growth, invites us to explore how we can continue to honor the time-tested practices in education while embracing new ideas, technologies, and strategies to address the evolving needs of students, educators, and institutions.

Registration will open October 10 for members and December 1 for non-members. Late registration will be from February 1 - 28 as space permits. Late registration will require a credit card payment at checkout. 

The member rate is available to paid active members. Membership payments not processed and received prior to registering will be charged at the non-member rate. New memberships may take up to 24 business hours for your status to update to receive member benefits. The member rate will not be honored or reimbursed after the fact. Please ensure payment has been received before completing your registration. 

The Local Educator Rate is available for public high school counselors within a 90-mile radius of the conference location. There is a limit of 75 spots available. On-site registration is not guaranteed and will only be available if space is permitting. To guarantee a spot, please register for the conference as soon as possible. 

Sustainable Growth embodies a commitment to progress while preserving valuable traditions. By volunteering some time at this conference, you'll be actively contributing to the growth and development of TACAC! 

Whether assisting with registration, moderating the first timer session, or supporting raffle, volunteers help ensure a positive and productive experience for all attendees! If you have any questions, contact Claudia Mejia.

Sign-up to Volunteer

Erin Owens is a Professor in SHSU’s Newton Gresham Library, where she serves as Associate Director of Library Public Services and Scholarly Communications Librarian. She assists researchers from novice to expert with a wide array of topics pertaining to data management, scholarly publishing, copyright, artificial intelligence, and more.

Josh Kaisen received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of South Florida and his M.Sc. in Physics from the University at Buffalo where he was a CERN/CMS collaborator. Prior to joining the University of Houston, Josh worked as an Assistant Professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland, a top liberal arts college, where he led a team of students to win a national policy design competition—which included presenting their policy in front of the US Congress—and a second team to place as finalists in the competition the following year. Josh now directs the corporate outreach and education initiatives for the Human-Centered AI Institute where he launched a seminar series, co-founded a student organization, and organized several events.

April Zhou is an educator, entrepreneur, and researcher passionate about social dynamics, negotiation, and networking in multicultural settings. A first-generation immigrant from China, she is passionate about working with international students and joined Growbie as the Chief Learning Officer to help international students craft compelling narratives for academic and professional success. With nearly a decade of experience in education, she has also collaborated with faculty on research at UCLA and professional certificates programs at Penn. Now pursuing doctoral studies, April aims to bridge research and practice to foster effective communication in global organizations.

The Counselor Network Reception (formerly Counselor Card Swap) is a chance for college admission representatives, community-based organization leaders, and high school counselors/IECs to connect and learn from one another. The reception will be held on Monday, March 31 after the last education session. 

• Free to all secondary serving attendees
• College/University participation requires an additional registration of $50 per institution.

Campus tours of some area colleges will be available on Tuesday, April 1. Space is limited and we encourage you to register early! 

Register Here

The annual conference is not possible without the continued support of our exhibitors and sponsors. Thank you to our generous 2025 supporters!

Conference attendees should join the fun by participating in the Exhibitor Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win exciting prizes! Game cards will be in the conference tote bags handed out at registration. 

2025 Sponsors:
Campus Pro Tours, College Board, Dallas/Fort Worth Admission Regional Network, Marist College, Mongoose, Rice University, Sam Houston State University, 
Southern Methodist University, Southwestern University, Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, StriveScan, Texas A&M University, The College Funding Coach, The University of Texas at Austin, Trinity University, TxCAN,  University of Arkansas, University of Houston, University of Missouri, & Urban Circle

2025 Exhibitors:
Brazos Higher Education, Campus Pro Tours, Carnegie, CIEE, Compass Education Group, Custom College Banners by Maximum Promotions, EAB, Encoura, LanguageBird, 
Motivate Lab at The University of Virginia, Mongoose, Sallie Mae, The College Funding Coach, Urban Circle, & YouScience

• Payment is due upon receipt and may be made by check or credit card only; purchase orders are not accepted.
• Members can access their invoices by logging into the member portal and clicking 'Invoices' in the red menu bar.
• All payments must be received within 30 days of registration or by February 28, whichever is earliest. Unpaid registrations will be canceled on February 28, 2025.
• Late registrations made in February will require a credit card for payment at time of registration.
• Requests for cancellations or substitutions must be submitted in writing to [email protected]. 
• All refunds will incur a $15 processing fee per registrant.
• Any request to change payment method will incur a $15 processing fee per registrant.
• Cancellation Schedule (based on date cancellation received):
  - Full Refund (less processing fee): October 1 - December 31, 2024
  - Half Refund (less processing fee): January 1 - January 31, 2025
  - No Refunds will be issued after January 31, 2025
• Substitution requests must be submitted by March 1, 2025.
• Registrants who do not attend (no-show) will not receive a refund. No exceptions.
• TACAC's W-9