Day One – October 4
Dr. Bryan Alexander
We’re excited to announce that Dr. Bryan Alexander will keynote the AASHE 2026 Conference & Expo on Sunday, October 4 – an award–winning, internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher.
Drawing on his expertise in higher education, emerging technologies, and long-range forecasting, Dr. Alexander will explore the trends shaping the future of higher education and what they mean for sustainability leaders. He’ll offer thought-provoking insights to help attendees think strategically, embrace change, and envision how their institutions can become more resilient, adaptable, and prepared for the future.
Bryan’s book Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020), won an Association of Professional Futurists award. His Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Age of Climate Crisis appeared in 2023 and won the 2025 Frederic W. Ness Book Award. His new book, Peak Higher Ed: How to Survive the Emerging Academic Crisis, appeared in January 2026. His other books include Gearing Up For Learning Beyond K-12 and The New Digital Storytelling (second edition).
Day Two – October 5
Dr. Sacoby Wilson
We’re excited to announce that Dr. Sacoby Wilson will keynote the AASHE 2026 Conference & Expo on Monday, October 5—an environmental health scientist, researcher, and advocate whose work focuses on environmental justice, health disparities, and community-engaged research.
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in environmental health and environmental justice, Dr. Wilson will explore the connections between environmental inequity, climate change, sustainability, and community health. His work centers on partnering with communities to understand environmental challenges, advance health equity, and translate research into action, offering important insights for sustainability leaders working to create more just and resilient institutions and communities.
Dr. Wilson is a professor in the Department of Global Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Maryland–College Park School of Public Health, where he directs The Health, Environmental and Economic Justice (T.H.E. EJ) Lab. Dr. Wilson works to build environmental justice organizations and coalitions. He is the Founder and Director of the Center for Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health INpowering Communities (CEEJH INC), a frontline EJ nonprofit organization. He is also Co-Founder of the Mid-Atlantic Justice Coalition and the DMV Environmental Justice Coalition, is Founder of 17 for Peace and Justice, and co-directs the U.S. EPA Region III Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center. His many honors include the 2025 Heinz Award for the Environment, the 2022 Sierra Club Robert Bullard Environmental Justice Award, the 2021 Maryland LCV Changemakers Award, the 2018 Taking Nature Black Environmental Champion Award, and the 2015 APHA Environment Section Damu Smith Environmental Justice Award.
Day Three – October 6
Dana R. Fisher
We’re excited to announce that Dr. Dana R. Fisher will deliver the closing keynote at the AASHE 2026 Conference & Expo on Tuesday, October 6—an author, researcher, and leading expert on democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate politics. Her most recent books are Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action (Columbia University Press 2024) and American Resistance: From the Women’s March to the Blue Wave (Columbia University Press 2019).
In 2024, she delivered a TED talk about being an apocalyptic optimist. She has published seven books and more than 80 chapters and peer-reviewed articles, including in Nature, Science Advances, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Fisher currently serves as the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity (CECE) and a Professor in the School of International Service at American University. She is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution. She regularly writes for the media and hosts the Apocalyptic Optimist Podcast. She has presented her work to the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, federal agencies, foundations, presidential campaigns, and other political organizations. Fisher served as a Contributing Author for Working Group 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Review (IPCC AR6) writing about citizen engagement and civic activism. For more information, go to www.danarfisher.com