Robinson Takes AAACE Presidency as SLHRD Faculty, Students, and Graduates Make Their Mark on the Centennial.
November 09, 2026
Chattanooga, Tennessee – As the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) commemorated a century of organizational heritage and leadership in adult education at its annual conference, held October 6–9 in Chattanooga, LSU’s School of Leadership & Human Resource Development (SLHRD) was part of the celebration at every level.
Petra A. Robinson, PhD, Director of SLHRD, assumed the presidency of the association. Alongside her, SLHRD faculty, students, and graduates presented research representing the breadth of the program’s scholarship, an alumna and a doctoral candidate received national awards, and two graduates were selected to lead next year’s conference in New Orleans.
Robinson was named president-elect at the 2025 conference in Cincinnati and spent the past year preparing for the role. Her term as president runs through October 2027.
“It is a joy to step into this role as AAACE celebrates a century of leadership and legacy in adult education, and a privilege to help guide the association into its next chapter. Seeing so many of our SLHRD faculty, students, and graduates sharing their work in Chattanooga made this milestone even more meaningful. I look forward to welcoming our colleagues to New Orleans next fall.”
Petra A. Robinson, PhD, Director, School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, and President, AAACE
The centennial program looked back at the field and ahead to where it is going, and Robinson was part of both conversations. With Michelle Glowacki-Dudka and Tricia Berry, she led "New Directions: Sharing a Century of Adult Education" and a general session, "Workshop for Reflection and Envisioning the Future of AAACE."
Two National Awards
SLHRD left Chattanooga with two of the association's 2026 awards. Omaima Hajjami, a doctoral candidate who has since successfully defended her dissertation, received the Commission for Workforce and Professional Development (CWPD) Student Award. Maja Stojanović, PhD, of North Carolina State University, received the Commission of Professors of Adult Education (CPAE) Early Career Award. Stojanović earned her PhD in Leadership and Human Resource Development from LSU in August 2022, after four years as an SLHRD graduate assistant.
SLHRD Research on the Program
SLHRD faculty, students, and graduates presented throughout the conference on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to military leadership to financial recovery after loss.
Corina Caraccioli, PhD, Assistant Professor, and Hajjami presented "A review of AI policies and guidelines in U.S. higher education," which looked at what emerging AI policies address, how institutions develop and carry them out, and where gaps remain. Doctoral student Zahra FalahAsl also took up AI, presenting "Humans and AI at work: Exploring employee engagement beyond efficiency."
Bethany Hager, PhD, Professor of Research and Director of Louisiana A+ Schools and a 2025 graduate of SLHRD's PhD program, presented two studies she co-authored with Robinson. The first, “Developing leaders in high-pressure contexts: Identity, meaning-making, and adult learning among Air Force First Sergeants,” was co-presented with Hajjami and Jennifer Cook, an SLHRD doctoral student and graduate assistant. Andrae Holliday, PhD, a recent graduate of the PhD program, also co-authored the study. The second, “Rebuilding financial agency after loss: A critical adult learning approach to financial literacy for widows,” examined how widows rebuild confidence and control over their finances.
Terri Porche Ricks, PhD, JD, Senior Assistant Dean for Administration in the College
of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) and a 2026 graduate of SLHRD's PhD program, opened
the conference's Virtual Day on September 18 with the keynote "Hidden Capacity: What
Becomes Possible When We See People Fully". In Chattanooga, she presented "Nothing
About Us Without Us: Participatory Design and Poverty Competency in Adult Learning."
Stojanović also led a roundtable with Pooneh Lari, "Reciprocal community engagement:
A strategy for bridging research and practice in training and development."
Renata Russo Lyons, PhD, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, also attended. Ada Udeogu, a first-year PhD student, volunteered at registration across two shifts, greeting attendees and spreading the word about next year's conference in New Orleans. By the end of the week, she had been invited to join an AAACE committee and had joined two of the association's commissions, CWPD and CPAE.
"At first, I felt out of place. HRD is my area, and I didn't think I knew enough about adult education to contribute. But boy, was I wrong. Before long I was like a sponge, soaking in knowledge, meeting new people, and growing my network. I'm already looking forward to New Orleans."
Ada Udeogu, PhD student, School of Leadership & Human Resource Development
Thank you to the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development for supporting
student travel to the conference through its Doctoral Student Travel Fund. Special
thanks go to the SLHRD faculty and staff who created the fund and continue to support
it, giving our doctoral students the chance to share their work on a national stage.
Next Stop: New Orleans
In 2027, AAACE comes to Louisiana. The conference will be held October 4–8 in New Orleans, and two SLHRD graduates will lead it. Stojanović, this year's vice chair, becomes conference chair, and Hager joins her as vice chair. The conference will also close Robinson's year as president. More details will be shared as plans are finalized.
About the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE)
The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) is dedicated to the belief that lifelong learning contributes to human fulfillment
and positive social change. We envision a more humane world made possible by the diverse
practice of our members in helping adults acquire the knowledge, skills and values
needed to lead productive and satisfying lives.
About the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development
The School of Leadership & Human Resource Development at LSU prepares leaders and changemakers who help people and organizations learn,
grow, and adapt. The school offers a BS in Leadership & Human Resource Development,
an undergraduate Leadership Development Minor, an MS in Leadership & Human Resource
Development (on campus and through LSU Online), a Graduate Minor in Global Leadership,
and a PhD in Leadership & Human Resource Development.