6/6/2025 - 6/6/2025
Presenters: Sasha Flores, Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives at Rio Salado College and Katy Kappler, Co-Founder & CEO of InScribe
Online students deserve more than access—they deserve connection. In today’s digital-first education landscape, fostering meaningful peer connections among online learners is a vital part of their academic and personal success. Join us for a powerful conversation with Sasha Flores from Rio Salado College as she shares how the college implemented RioConnect, powered by InScribe, to build vibrant digital communities that support students holistically. This session will explore how Rio Salado is reimagining student engagement and support through a community-first strategy—helping students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, wherever they are.
What you’ll learn:
- How digital communities promote peer-to-peer connection across diverse learner populations
- Ways to scale student support services without sacrificing quality
- How increased belonging drives satisfaction, engagement, and positive outcomes
About the Presenters
With a strong background in student success and digital learning, Sasha Flores serves as a Project Manager at Rio Salado College, where she leads innovative initiatives to enhance the student experience in online environments. Sasha has played a key role in implementing RioConnect, a digital community platform powered by InScribe, designed to foster engagement, increase access to support, and promote a sense of belonging among remote learners. Her work focuses on building scalable, student-centered support ecosystems that empower learners to connect with peers, advisors, and campus resources—anytime, anywhere. Through her leadership, Rio Salado continues to reimagine what it means to support students in a digital-first world.
Katy Kappler is the Co-founder and CEO of InScribe, an innovative platform dedicated to enhancing student engagement and outcomes through digital communities. With over 25 years of experience in the education technology industry, Katy has been instrumental in designing and launching enterprise solutions that support millions of learners and educators annually.
Location: Zoom Meeting
6/23/2025 - 6/26/2025
2025 USDLA National Conference and Award Ceremony
Dates: June 23rd – 26th
The host location will be Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
The conference promises something for everyone:
- Multiple Keynotes from Industry Leaders
- Monday Afternoon Pre-Conference Sessions
- Monday Evening Conference Kickoff Party
- 50+ Concurrent Sessions
- International Awards Luncheon Celebration
- Bill Jackson Memorial Walk/Run
- Night on the Town Dinners with the Board
- Public Policy Forum
- State Chapters Meeting
- Virtual Option for Select Sessions
- Optional St. Louis Cardinals Ballgame Wednesday Evening
Our USDLA National Conference has long been an event where we mingle, discuss technology and learn from an audience broader than our own. Nothing can replace those live in-person interactions and conference feedback has always focused on those personal relationships made with one another.
For our 38th anniversary will be focusing on tracks that are in high demand as we continue to navigate both remote and in-person learning strategies. These tracks include:
- Micro-certifications
- Leadership tracks
- HyFlex Strategies for Success
- Student Engagement Techniques
- Professional Development for the Online Staff/Faculty
- Policy, Regulation and Governance in Distance Education
- Distance and Digital Leadership
- Ensuring Quality, Flexibility and Access (OER, Hyflex, and more)
- Innovative Techniques and Technologies
- Best Practices in Instructional Design and Learner Engagement
- Great IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility
- What’s Next for Distance Education
Location: Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
1 South Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63102
Please visit https://usdla.org/2025-national-conference/ for all up to date conference details
9/25/2025 - 9/25/2025
Presenters: To be announced
Join us as we prepare for Cyber Awareness Month with guest speakers discussing the challenges of cybersecurity in the distance learning space.
Did you know that members can watch replays of our previous public policy events and more in the member video archive.
Not a member? Consider joining today! Even trial members have access to recordings for 60 days.
Location: Zoom Meeting
11/3/2025 - 11/7/2025
For complete session information and to learn more about this annual event, visit NDLW on our website and to participate in the discussions that will be on the NDLW Daily Show (a chance to network, collaborate, and learn), complete this survey.
Location: Zoom Meeting
1/20/2026 - 1/22/2026
Join us for our 2026 Public Policy Week
For most recent session descriptions and speaker bios, please visit https://usdla.org/ppw/
Location: Zoom Meeting