2026 Maryville College AI Summit
The 2nd Annual Maryville College AI Summit is a two‑day convening that brings together educators, business professionals, nonprofit leaders, and community members to explore artificial intelligence across disciplines and sectors. We are pleased to welcome back the Blount Partnership as a key sponsor of the 2026 Summit.The Summit extends beyond teaching and learning to examine the applied use of artificial intelligence in business and nonprofit settings, along with its broader societal and environmental implications. Grounded in Maryville College’s liberal arts tradition, the event creates space for thoughtful dialogue, diverse viewpoints, and cross‑sector engagement at the regional level. Across both days, attendees will participate in keynote addresses and concurrent sessions that explore how artificial intelligence is shaping classrooms, workplaces, institutions, and communities. Opportunities for conversation and connection with fellow participants are integrated throughout the Summit. We also anticipate inviting a small number of community and corporate partners to support this year’s expanded programming. Additional information about partnership opportunities will be shared as details are finalized. Organizations and individuals that wish to learn more are welcome to contact aisummit@maryvillecollege.edu
Individuals who may have questions or who wish to receive updates about the Summit are welcome to contact aisummit@maryvillecollege.edu.
Tickets are available via EventBrite clik the link below to be taken to the EventBrite website for the event.
Tuesday, May 12
Subject to change
Most sessions will be held concurrently. Session listings are for reference only and do not indicate presentation times.
Keynote Address
Andrew Farrior, Co‑Founder, AXM
Additional Speakers
Andy Lombardo, Technology Director, Maryville City Schools
Vibe Code Live! Walk In with a Laptop, Walk Out with a Custom Chrome Extension Built by You
Hunter Kallay, PhD Candidate, University of Tennessee
The Algorithmic Consensus: How AI Could Quiet Moral Progress
Jeff Huckaby, CEO and Co‑Founder, Versalytix
Research Alone Will Not Feed the World: How Combining Academic Science, Enterprise Analytics, and First Principles Built an AI Platform for Farmers
Kate Nash, Instructional Designer and AI Strategist, K Nash Inc.
AI as a Thinking Partner: Strengthening Reasoning Before Writing
Marcus Blair, Founder, Omega Business Solutions
AI Implementation: An Executive’s Guide
Dr. Trey Conatser, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, University of Kentucky
Agency Over Agents: Fostering a Durable AI Literacy Across Curricula
Daniel Janowski, AI for Operations Program Lead, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
AI’s Sweeping Societal Transformation
Wednesday, May 13
Subject to change
Most sessions will be held concurrently. Session listings are for reference only and do not indicate presentation times.
Keynote Address
Dr. Jay Eckles, Division Director for Application Development, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Additional Speakers
Alyssa Schoudel, Senior Director of Technology, Clayton, and
Abhinav Mahajan, Technical Delivery Lead, Clayton
Teach the Gap: How Faculty Can Lead in the Age of AI, Not Just Survive It
Dr. Dan Ross, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Maryville College
Using AI for Nonprofit Data Analysis
Felicia J. Slattery, Lecturer and Inaugural Generative AI Fellow, University of Tennessee
Do Not Ban the Bot, Befriend It: Prompt‑Powered Pedagogy for the Modern Classroom
Jan Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Maryville College
A Practical Framework for Better AI Decision‑Making in Professional Settings
Joel Smith, Founder and CEO, TeachCraft
AI Tools vs. AI Systems: What Authentic Learning Looks Like in an AI World
Diana Wheeler, Knowledge and AI Strategist, Athena Knowledge Consulting
The Hidden Infrastructure Behind Trustworthy AI: Why Knowledge Structure Determines Reliability
Panel Discussion
C‑Suite Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence
Abhijit “AV” Verekar, Founder and CEO, Avèro Advisors, and
Jason Leverant, President and COO, AtWork Group
Moderated by Dr. Heather McMahon, Maryville College
Be the Human
- Ethical Use: AI must not be used for dishonesty or misconduct.
- Transparency: Disclose AI use and tools in academic and professional work.
- Integrity: Users are responsible for all AI-assisted content.
- Privacy: Use only college-approved AI platforms for sensitive data.
Maryville College Generative AI Policy Guidelines
Summary:
Maryville College supports the ethical and responsible use of generative AI tools to enhance teaching, learning, research, and operations. This policy outlines expectations for transparency, integrity, and data privacy while encouraging innovation and critical engagement with AI technologies.
Purpose & Scope
These guidelines apply to all faculty, staff, and students. They aim to:
- Promote responsible and informed AI use.
- Support innovation in academics and operations.
- Uphold academic and professional integrity.
- Ensure ethical and legal compliance in AI use.
- Ethical Use: AI must not be used for dishonesty or misconduct.
- Transparency: Disclose AI use and tools in academic and professional work.
- Integrity: Users are responsible for all AI-assisted content.
- Privacy: Use only college-approved AI platforms for sensitive data.
- AI may assist with tasks like communication, data management, and workflow optimization.
- Human oversight is required for all AI-generated content.
- Use only college-approved AI tools for sensitive data.
- Ethical considerations (bias, privacy, impact) must guide AI research.
- Clearly define AI use in syllabi and on assignments (allowed tools, expectations, citation requirements).
- Encourage critical thinking about AI’s role and limitations.
- Use AI to support, not replace, originality in teaching and assessment.
- Maintain human judgment in grading and feedback.
- Detection tools can produce false positives and should not be solely relied upon.
- Follow AI usage guidelines in each assignment and syllabus.
- Submitting AI-generated work without acknowledgment is prohibited.
- AI should supplement learning, not replace it.
Review & Feedback
This policy will be reviewed regularly. Community feedback is welcome to ensure relevance and effectiveness.
Inaugural AI Summit on May 8th, 2025
The theme for this year was “Teaching with AI.”
Maryville College was excited to have its first-ever AI Summit. The topic for this year’s summit was Teaching with AI. We invited elementary, middle, and high school teachers, school administrators, postsecondary educators, corporate trainers, instructional designers, and other educators to join us for a day of insightful discussions and innovative presentations. Lunch was generously provided by the Blount Partnership for all attendees.
For questions about the summit, please contact Dr. Niklas Trzaskowski, Director of the Career Center.
AAC&U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum
A team of Maryville College faculty & staff is currently participated in the AAC&U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum.
As part of composing an action plan for integrating AI into the curriculum, the team crafted the following draft of mission statement that was recently shared with members of the faculty:
