Virginia Tech invites 'future world changers' to national conference in D.C. area

The future of higher education and leadership will gather in the nation’s capital for the Future World Changers in the Academy National Conference (FWCA) hosted by Virginia Tech in Arlington on April 10-13.

Formerly the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy, the conference is designed to bring together talented faculty members, administrators, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students — particularly those from underrepresented communities — for an unparalleled professional development experience through engaging sessions, intentional networking, and collaborative knowledge-sharing. More than 600 people participated in the 2024 conference.

“It is with great pleasure that we enter our 13th year of FWCA, a truly life-changing conference for many who attend,” said Crasha Townsend, director of the 2025 conference and executive director for strategic partnerships in Virginia Tech’s Office for Inclusive Strategy and Excellence. “The opportunity to be part of the conference’s growth and oversee this new era of excellence has been rewarding and exciting. I am looking forward to seeing the attendees again in April and hearing what resonates most with them as we look to 2026 and beyond.”

The 2025 conference will feature three keynote speakers:

• Natalie Stites Means (Lakota/Dakota), organizer, social entrepreneur, executive director of the Community Organizing for Unified Power Council
• G. Cristina Mora, associate professor of sociology and the co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley
• Gloria Ladson Billings, American pedagogical theorist and professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

“As founder of FWCA, I am excited to welcome all to the 2025 conference,” said Menah Pratt, vice president of inclusive strategy and excellence and professor of education at Virginia Tech. “We are inspired by scholarship focused on bringing communities from the margin to the center, especially those traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

“As a full professor, I am aware that Black women only represent 1.5 percent of full professors in the academy. A recent report from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources shows that representation of Latinx, Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islander women is similarly low. Studies like this one encourage us to empower faculty members, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and administrators to become ‘world changers’ and leaders in higher education through their teaching, research, mentorship, and service.”

The conference also works to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of gender equality by including a leadership panel on the final day, featuring:

• Amy Sueyoshi, provost and vice president of academic affairs at San Francisco State University
• La Jerne Terry Cornish, president of Ithaca College
• Naelys Luna, founding dean and professor in the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University
• Joely Proudfit (Luiseño/Payómkawichum/Tongva), department chair of the American Indian Studies Department and director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at California State University, San Marcos

Held in Arlington, the Future World Changers in the Academy National Conference contributes to Virginia Tech’s expanding presence in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area. The conference also raises awareness for programs such as the university’s Future Faculty Development Program, which recruits top-tier graduate students and postdocs to work at Virginia Tech and highlights Virginia Tech’s distinction as an internationally recognized research institution.

Early bird registration has been extended until March 21, reflecting a $200 discount.