Thank you for attending NIRSA 2021 Virtual, presented by PLAE!
Plan on joining us at NIRSA 2022 in Portland, Oregon. Details will be announced soon.
Registrants may access the PheedLoop platform until April 30. Login details can be found in the email confirmation after registration.
NIRSA is excited to make our virtual conference debut — presented by PLAE — to support member learning on critical topics related to campus recreation, especially in the middle of this pandemic. We’re looking forward to three days of making connections, exploring the latest products and services, discovering solutions, and celebrating many member accomplishments and contributions.
Main Stage Speakers
Michelle Poler
Michelle Poler
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Michelle Poler is a creative and passionate social entrepreneur, keynote speaker, fear facer, and branding strategist. She’s the founder of Hello Fears, a social movement that has empowered millions to step outside of their comfort zones and tap into their full potential. Her numerous speaking engagements have included talks at TEDx, Google, INBOUND, Facebook, ESPN, Netflix, Procter and Gamble, Microsoft, Toyota, World Domination Summit, and the Festival of Media Global among others. In April 2015, Michelle embarked on a 100-day project that would change the course of her life.
Born to a family of Holocaust survivors, Michelle was accustomed to living with fear. But when she moved to New York, she quickly realized that the “Big Apple” was not for the fearful. In order to rewrite her definition of fear and change her approach to life, Michelle decided to face 100 of her fears over a period of 100 days, uploading every experience to YouTube to share them with the world. At around day 40, the project was discovered by the media and became a viral phenomenon. Her work has been featured on CBS, CNN, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Fox News, Telemundo, Glamour, Elle, The Rachael Ray Show, Refinery29, and Daily Mail among many other outlets. Celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Sofia Vergara, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Wayne, and George Takei all shared Michelle’s project, generating millions of views for it. In 2017, Michelle started speaking to the younger generation. Since then, she has empowered over 20,000 students at schools and universities around the world to live with courage, find their authenticity, and embrace their growth paths.
Early on in her career, Michelle worked as an art director at Young & Rubicam for brands such as Hershey’s, Wendy’s, AT&T, and Revlon. She holds a Masters of Branding from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Welcome, NIRSA Family!
Greg Bell
Greg Bell
More than just a motivational speaker, Greg Bell is a thought leader, business consultant, and leadership seminar trainer. His popular books—Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals and What’s Going Well? The Question That Changes Everything—have inspired an array of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Disney, ManpowerGroup, Kaiser Permanente, and Comcast to athletic teams like the Portland Trailblazers, Oregon Ducks Football, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball.
As an innovator and keen observer of successful leaders and teams, Greg has learned that the key to success is having the courage to use the skills you already have to achieve a result greater than you previously imagined.
Inspiring and energizing audiences with his engaging storytelling, Greg shares his knowledge with excitement and passion. His ability to masterfully blend insight and encouragement with just the right dose of reality makes him the consistently top-rated keynote speaker at major conferences. A Certified Speaking Professional (the highest-earned designation from the National Speakers Association), Greg influences thousands of individuals and entrepreneurs each year with his innate ability to connect personally with audience members.
Greg holds political science and law degrees from the University of Oregon and currently serves on the UO Foundation Board of Trustees. He is also the force behind Coaches vs. Cancer—a campaign for the American Cancer Society that has raised over $100 million for cancer research. In addition to his corporate leadership experience, Greg is a TEDx Talk alum and serves on the advisory board for the Portland TEDx conference series.
Keith Boykin
Keith Boykin
A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith has taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York and at American University in Washington, D.C. He is a co-founder and first board president of the National Black Justice Coalition and an award-winning author of multiple books, including Beyond the Down Low, One More River to Cross, and Respecting the Soul and editor of the acclaimed collection For Colored Boys.
Keith was a co-host of the BET Network’s talk show My Two Cents, starred on the Showtime reality television series American Candidate, worked as an associate producer of the film Dirty Laundry, and has appeared on numerous TV shows, including BET’s Being Mary Jane.
Born in St. Louis, Keith has lived in 12 cities, visited 48 of the 50 United States, and traveled the world; he currently lives in New York City.
Schedule at a Glance
Available all day on demand are fitness forum sessions, facility tours, select education sessions. Expo open during all hours of conference. Event Schedule (all times listed in PST) for registered attendees only.
Tuesday, February 23
- 7:00am-8:15am — Mainstage Speaker Michelle Poler*
- 8:30am-9:15am — Concurrent Live Sessions*
- 9:45am-10:30am — Concurrent Live Sessions*
- 10:45am-11:15am — “Ask me Anything” with NIRSA Executive Director Pam Watts
- 10:30am-11:15am — LIVE fitness class
- 11:15am-1:00pm — Expo*
- 1:00pm-1:45pm — Concurrent Sessions*
- 3:00pm-4:00pm — NIRSA Founders People of Color Social sponsored by PLAE (open to all)
Wednesday, February 24
- 7:00am-8:00am — Mainstage Speaker Keith Boykin*
- 8:30am-9:15am — Concurrent Sessions*
- 9:45am-10:45am — Take a Student to Coffee*
- 11:15am-noon — Concurrent Sessions*
- 1:00pm-2:00pm — Expo*
- 2:00pm-2:45pm — Concurrent Sessions*
- 4:00pm-5:00pm – 2021 Honor Award Banquet (open to all)
Thursday, February 25
- 7:00am-8:00am — Mainstage Speaker Greg Bell*
- 8:30am-9:15am — Concurrent Sessions*
- 9:45am-10:30am — Concurrent Sessions*
- 11:00am-noon — Expo*
- 12:30pm-1:30pm — Concurrent Sessions*
- 2:00pm-2:30pm — Closing Session*
- 4:00pm — LGBTQ & Friends Social sponsored by PLAE (open to all)
* You must be registered for conference to attend this event
What can you expect at NIRSA 2021 Virtual, presented by PLAE?
We can’t wait to spend three days together making new memories this coming February.
Opportunities to connect with others in real time and asynchronously around important topics across the profession
A blend of pre-recorded, live, and simu-live (a pre-recorded session with live responses) sessions around key topic areas, with access to all recorded content
A virtual Campus Rec & Wellness Expo that features all new ways to engage with exhibitors
Live and on-demand fitness classes
The continuation of NIRSA traditions like the Founders People of Color Social, the LGBTQ Social, and the Honor Award recipient celebration
NIRSA Foundation Virtual 5K
Prize giveaways
The smiling faces of your dedicated NIRSA colleagues
Concurrent Session Blocks
We’re planning eight concurrent session blocks that will roll-out a mix of pre-recorded, live, and simu-live (a pre-recorded session with live response options) learning sessions and feature multiple virtual formats.
There will be a number of sessions on key topic areas that are especially relevant for the profession today, like higher education leadership; equity, diversity, and inclusion competencies; digital engagement strategies; and integrated health and wellbeing efforts.
On-demand Access
Much of the program will be recorded and accessible on-demand to individual registrants through April 30, 2021.
Virtual booths in the NIRSA Campus Rec & Wellness Expo are also accessible through April 30.
Virtual Networking
Networking opportunities will be available through chat rooms centered around topics like COVID response on campus, issues facing small programs, regional affiliations, or the session you just attended. Your favorite evening receptions will also be going virtual for 2021. The LGBTQ & Allies Social as well as the Founders People of Color Social will hold events during the week.
Virtual Facility Tours
This is your chance to show off some of the unique features that make your facilities great! Submit your 4-minute video by February 14.
Early bird ends February 2, 2021
Stay up to date!
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