Chergo leads Purdue for Life’s fundraising efforts for Purdue University in Indianapolis, National Defense, Student Life, the College of Liberal Arts, the John Martinson Honors College, the College of Education, and central and regional initiatives. She has a record of building and leading high-performing teams as a head coach, athletics administrator, and fundraising leader in Division I higher education for more than 30 years. Her career includes leadership roles at the University of Colorado, the University of Denver, and Oregon State University before joining Purdue eight years ago. Chergo and David M. Umulis will share the welcome remarks.

Collins specializes in driving digital transformation and enterprise technology adoption. With expertise in change management and technology implementation, she is passionate about empowering women to leverage artificial intelligence as a catalyst for career advancement and leadership development. Her approach centers on creating practical, repeatable habits that enable women to harness new technologies for measurable impact. Collins’s presentation is titled “Closing the AI Adoption Gap: How Women Can Take the Lead.”

Dussliere began at Purdue for Life in the fall of 2024, overseeing all aspects of alumni-facing organizations—including the Purdue Alumni Association, President’s Council, and the John Purdue Club—as well as development, alumni engagement, and more. Prior to this, she was an executive with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). She started working with the USOPC in 2003, rising to senior vice president, chief of Paralympic sport in 2018 and then senior vice president, chief of Paralympics and internally managed sports in 2022. In 2018, Dussliere was appointed president of the Americas Paralympic Committee, becoming the first woman and first U.S. representative to lead the organization. She coached swimming for more than a decade before moving into her successful career in sport administration. Dussliere and Eva Nodine will conduct the panel discussion “Life After the Podium.”

Farquharson is a two-time Olympian, having competed in the 2026 Milan Cortina and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She won a bronze medal in women’s singles luge and finished fifth in the luge team relay in Milan Cortina this February. In 2022, she finished 12th in women’s singles luge and seventh in the luge team relay. Thanks to the Guild and Team USA Learning Network, she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business from Purdue Global. Farquharson will speak during the panel discussion “Life After the Podium.”

For more than 22 years, Foster has led teams through exponential growth, industry disruption, and cultural transformation. At Crash Champions, one of the largest collision repair networks in the U.S., she leads the Luxe & EV division, overseeing high-end, OEM-certified centers for brands including Tesla, Bentley, and BMW. Foster founded Women of Crash Champions, now a 500-member, companywide initiative that supports women’s advancement across all roles. She also created the ASAP and STEP programs to grow entry-level talent into successful long-term careers in the collision industry. While at Purdue, she was a softball student-athlete. Foster’s presentation is titled “Breaking Barriers and Building Champions: Leadership Lessons from the Collision Industry.”

Gibson’s military career spans 33 years with various roles in intelligence and cyberspace operations, including deputy director of national intelligence for National Security Partnerships, director of intelligence for United States Central Command, director of intelligence for Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, and deputy commanding general for U.S. Army Cyber Command. She is a recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal and the Defense Superior Service Medal with a combat device. Gibson retired from the U.S. Army in 2020. As sergeant at arms for the U.S. Senate, she rebuilt the Senate’s physical, residential, and cybersecurity programs in Washington and at 450 offices across the country. Gibson’s presentation is titled “Struck by Lightning: Leading and Thriving in Uncertain Times.”

During her time at Purdue, Gruss cofounded Wheel RIISE to advance innovation and engagement in adaptive sports and mobility. In 2017 and 2018, she competed internationally as a member of the U.S. women’s national wheelchair basketball team in the Americas Cup and the World Championships. She completed postdoctoral appointments at Purdue and Michigan State University before beginning her current role at Iowa State University. Gruss will speak during the panel discussion “Life After the Podium.”

Henry is responsible for Purdue for Life’s alumni engagement efforts, including clubs and affinity networks, volunteerism, mentorship, lifelong learning, and travel programs. She previously was vice president of organizational development and strategic leadership for the Purdue Alumni Association and corporate secretary for the association’s board of directors. She still serves on the governance council for the board as a nonvoting member. She has received extensive training in facilitation, grant writing, fundraising, creative problem-solving, accelerated learning, and appreciative inquiry. Henry will share the closing remarks.

As CEO, Nodine leads the strategic direction of Purdue Global. She previously served as Purdue Global’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, overseeing all financial planning and accounting services, human resources, financial aid, marketing and communications, data, information technology, and legal and regulatory affairs. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and forensic accounting from Franklin University and is a certified public accountant in Indiana. Nodine and Julie Dussliere will conduct the panel discussion “Life After the Podium.”

Smith and her team at the Coaching Seat certify coaches and facilitators and train people to adopt a coaching approach to leadership across academia, government, and industry. She is a certified coach through the John Maxwell Leadership Certified Team. Smith has written self-development books and created training programs to help individuals unlock their potential, take intentional steps toward success, and cultivate a mindset of continuous growth. She is an NCAA and five-time Big Ten champion in track and field. Smith’s presentation is titled “Self-Coaching the Kaizen Way: Unlock Daily Growth Without Overwhelm.”

A Purdue faculty member since 2008, Umulis is a distinguished research leader, mentor, and administrator. His work is focused on computational biology, imaging, and biomedical engineering and has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation, and Showalter Foundation. In addition to his role with the Provost’s Office, Umulis is principal investigator and director of the EMBRIO Institute, a multidisciplinary collaboration funded by NIH to use AI, imaging, and engineering to study wound healing and cellular defense. He previously served as Dane A. Miller Head of Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, advancing research in biomedical imaging, neuroengineering, and biomaterials. Umulis and Sammie Chergo will share the welcome remarks.