Upcoming Events
Stay up-to-date with the latest virtual and in-person event offerings from Wake Forest School of Professional Studies.
Event Types:
Wake Women Podcast
Online
Any Date
Listen to the episodes anywhere you subscribe to your podcasts!
This show brings you intelligent, thought-provoking reflections from successful women whose experiences will inspire you to be your best self. (more…)
Wake360 2026: The Inside Track: Direct Access. Immediate Impact.
The Pearl - Charlotte, NC
October 23-24, 2026
Every fall, Wake Forest School of Professional Studies brings together students, alumni, faculty, Program Avisory Board members, and industry pros for a one-of-a-kind weekend.
We call it Wake360 – because you’re fully immersed in a unique mix of networking and development. This will be our fifth annual event, and it’s sure to be the best yet!
Be sure to mark your calendars for October 23 – 24 in Charlotte at our new home in The Pearl.
Register today!
Connect with the SPS Parents Group!
Virtual
-
Consider joining the Wake Forest SPS Parents Group, a newly formed community welcoming both current students and alumni at any stage of parenthood. Whether you are expecting your first child, balancing family while pursuing your degree, or navigating parenthood as a graduate, this space is for you!
Developed by a Wake Forest alumna and student-led, the group offers a place to connect, share experiences, and find support.
If you are interested in attending an upcoming meeting or would like to know more, please contact: SPS Student Services at stuserv@wfu.edu or Shelli Tordé at tordeshelli@alumni.wfu.edu
Read more about the SPS Parents Group here.
November Coffee Chat with Alumni
Virtual
November
Whether you’re hoping to build your network professionally or just take a few minutes to meet someone new, sign up for these 1:1 alumni conversations!
Here’s how it works:
Register by Noon on Friday, October 30th.
Our team will match alumni for 1:1 conversations.
By Tuesday, November 3rd, we’ll connect each conversation pair with a short introductory email.
Each conversation pair will work to find a time to meet that works for you both. It’s that easy.
Plan to chat for 30-minutes, maybe over coffee or a quick bite to eat!
Important Upcoming Academic Dates
October 2026
Stay up to date on important academic deadlines! View the SPS Academic Calendar for a comprehensive view of the term. (more…)
12
OCT
Donations Wanted: Finders Keepers (Professional Clothing Pop-Up)
Benson University Center, Farrell Hall
October 12 - October 27
Help us build a great selection for WFU students! We are collecting gently used, high-quality men’s and women’s professional clothing (suits, blazers, dress shirts, slacks, skirts, and professional accessories).
October 12 – October 27
Who can donate: Faculty, staff, and local alumni.
Drop-off location: Women’s Center in Benson or at the Student Engagement Suite in Farrell Hall.
How to donate: Contact Amanda Horton at hortonaj@wfu.edu to coordinate your drop-off.
24
OCT
Brunch with Brad Bender, Chief Risk Officer of Truist Financial
The Pearl - Charlotte, NC
Saturday, October 24
Are you an Enterprise Risk Management student or graduate? We invite you to join us for brunch with Truist Risk Management! This is a great opportunity to connect with industry leaders and fellow peers.
Please reach out to Academic Director Dr. Joseph Atatsi at atatsij@wfu.edu for additional information.
27
OCT
AI Workshop: Investing Smarter With AI
The Pearl / Virtual
Tuesday, October 27
Learn practical skills and workflows that go beyond prompting, which you can apply the next day! “Investing Smarter With AI” will be led by Vice Department Chair for Law, Economics, Accounting & Finance and Teaching Professor Dr. Mark Johnson. (more…)
28
OCT
AI and the Future of Medicine Dining Dilemmas
Worrell Hall, WFU Campus
Wednesday, October 28
“Paging Dr. AI: AI and the Future of Healthcare” – Dining Dilemmas is an opportunity for students to gather with faculty over a free dinner and engage in meaningful conversation about the ethical and legal issue surrounding AI use. Hear from physicians, including Double Deacs.
The deadline to register is Sunday, October 25.
29
OCT
Finders Keepers: Professional Clothing Pop-Up
Farrell Hall - Room 352
Thursday, October 29
Upgrade your professional wardrobe for free! Co-hosted by Wake Forest Business, the Office of Sustainability, and the Women’s Center, the Finders Keepers Pop-Up offers graduate and professional students the opportunity to source high-quality men’s and women’s professional attire.
03
NOV
Tech Insights: From Search Engines to Answer Engines: Marketing When AI Finds You First
Virtual
November 3, 2026
This session examines what that shift means for marketing strategy, from customer insight to campaign execution.
08
NOV
Cite it Right, What to Cite, How to Cite, and Why We Cite: A (Re)Introduction to Citation and ZoteroBib (zbib.org)
Virtual
Sunday, November 8
This 45-minute workshop reviews citing scholarly sources from the ZSR Library using the APA citation style and zbib.org, with hints on finding those sources on the ZSR Library website (zsr.wfu.edu). It also includes tips on utilizing AI tools available from ZSR and strategies for identifying and avoiding plagiarism.
09
NOV
Time Management for Graduate Students
Wake Downtown Room 1505
Monday, November 9
Graduate school means managing competing demands like research, coursework, teaching, and life outside academia. This workshop provides graduate students with concrete, evidence-based strategies to structure their schedules, combat procrastination, and protect their work-life balance.
Register today for the ZSR GradLabs Workshop series!
10
NOV
SPSConnect: Choosing Your Next Professional Move: Should You Stay or Should You Go
Virtual
Tuesday, November 10
Are you feeling stuck in your role, and searching for a chance to grow? Or are you wondering if the grass is truly greener somewhere else? Deciding whether to stay in your current position or seek out a new role is one of the most critical decisions in your professional journey.
Join us as we sit down with SPS PAB member, Melissa Buscher, for a candid conversation on how to evaluate your career trajectory and decide whether it’s time to chart a new course. (more…)
11
NOV
Wake Forest Executive Education: Info Session & Open Q&A
Online, Zoom
November 11, 2026
Finding the right professional development path shouldn’t feel like an administrative hurdle. Our 30-minute virtual information sessions are designed to give you direct, low-commitment access to our Executive Education team.
Whether you are looking to enroll in a single open enrollment workshop, stack courses toward a Certificate in Leadership, or explore custom talent development options for your entire organization, this session provides a breakdown of what to expect.
(more…)
13
NOV
AI Once, Automate Forever — Using AI to Build Repeatable Business Solutions
Farrell Hall / Virtual
Friday, November 13
Learn practical skills and workflows that go beyond prompting, which you can apply the next day! “AI Once, Automate Forever” will be led by Associate Teaching Professor Dr. Kyre Lahtinen. (more…)
01
DEC
Tech Insights: Your AI Has Biases. So Do You: What to Automate, What to Own
Virtual
December 1, 2026
This session starts with an overview of how AI actually works for AI-augmented project leaders. The presentation will then explore some of the latest research on the bias blind spots inherent to each of us.
04
DEC
Your Expertise, on Repeat: Turning Repeated Tasks into Gemini Skills
Farrell Hall / Virtual
Friday, December 4
Learn practical skills and workflows that go beyond prompting, which you can apply the next day! “Turning Repeated Tasks into Gemini Skills” will be led by MSBA Program Director and Teaching Professor Dr. Aric LaBarr. (more…)
08
DEC
Culture by Design: Defining Company Culture Through Talent Development
The Pearl, Charlotte
December 8, 2026
Culture isn’t built through perks or policy—it’s built through intentional talent investment. Join Wake Forest Executive Education on December 8th for a free Executive Insights briefing to explore how aligning talent development with organizational mission directly impacts culture, strengthens retention, and builds leadership capability across your workforce.
Whether you are managing a small business or leading talent strategy across an enterprise, this interactive session delivers practical frameworks to demonstrate the tangible return on investing in your people.
Key Takeaways
The Quantifiable Cost of Turnover: Frameworks to calculate the true organizational cost of lost talent and thin leadership pipelines across companies of any size.
Culture as a Retention Engine: How structured development creates an inclusive, mission-aligned culture where employees feel supported in reaching their goals.
Diverse Leadership Pipelines: Practical approaches to identify high-potential employees early and prepare them to step confidently into leadership roles.
The Strategic Partnership Model: How partnering with Wake Forest Executive Education provides scalable, flexible learning journeys—from open enrollment workshops to custom corporate solutions.
*Complimentary lunch will be provided!
Register by December 4th.
10
DEC
Wake Forest Executive Education: Info Session & Open Q&A
Online, Zoom
December 10, 2026
Finding the right professional development path shouldn’t feel like an administrative hurdle. Our 30-minute virtual information sessions are designed to give you direct, low-commitment access to our Executive Education team.
Whether you are looking to enroll in a single open enrollment workshop, stack courses toward a Certificate in Leadership, or explore custom talent development options for your entire organization, this session provides a breakdown of what to expect.
(more…)
02
FEB
Tech Insights: Beyond the Pilot: Turning AI Experiments into Enterprise Innovation
Virtual
February 2, 2027
This session, led by Carm Taglienti, academic director of the Master of AI and Innovation, examines why pilots stall, how organizations move from experimentation to structured innovation, and the leadership capabilities that shift requires.
02
MAR
Tech Insights: Reporting the Past vs. Shaping What's Next: AI in Finance
Virtual
March 2, 2027
This session, led by Mohamed Desoky, Academic Director of the Master of Financial Technology & Analytics, explores how AI and financial technology are moving finance from explaining what happened to shaping what happens next.
06
APR
Tech Insights: When Seeing Is No Longer Believing: Deepfakes and the New Executive Threat
Virtual
April 6, 2027
This session, led by Brandon Sloane, academic director of the Master of Cybersecurity, covers what leaders, not just security teams, need to understand about AI-driven threats and how to build a verification culture that holds up when seeing is no longer believing.
04
MAY
Tech Insights: Governing the People and Institutions: Why AI Oversight Is Now a Core Risk Discipline.
Virtual
May 4, 2027
This session, led by Joseph Atatsi, Academic Director of the Master of Enterprise Risk Management examines how AI is reshaping enterprise risk and what a modern framework needs to address.
Opportunities for Today — and Tomorrow
Community is a pillar at Wake Forest SPS. Our students and alumni form a vibrant, supportive network of professionals who are shaping industries, solving real-world challenges, and lifting one another up.
We’ve created a unique online space for current and former students to learn, connect, share insights, and grow their careers.
The Students of Wake Forest SPS
Wake360: How to Prepare and Make It Count from Student Ambassador Tishonna Brown
Master of Project Management student and Wake360 Student Ambassador Tishonna Brown shares how she's prepared for Wake360 in the past and what first-time...
The Launch Point: Finding Confidence and Connection with Deanna Miller
By earning her master’s degree, communications professional Deanna Miller reaffirmed her passion for the work and expanded her network of like-minded peers....
Zach Gracia on Creativity, Culture, and Career During Hispanic Heritage Month
Disney lead product designer Zach Gracia shares how his heritage and Master of Digital Marketing and AI from Wake Forest SPS shape his career.
The Launch Point: How Matthew Dennis is Bringing the Student-Athlete Perspective to NCAA Governance
Wake Forest Master of Public Administration grad Matthew Dennis shares how he’s applying lessons in leadership and stakeholder engagement to his work with...
It’s an SPS Summer: Catching Up with Students and Faculty
See how Wake Forest SPS students and faculty balanced career advancement, summer coursework, and family fun this season.
Supporting Mothers and Shaping Standards of Care: Aminata Diakite's Vision for Global Health
When Aminata Diakite noticed her cousin struggling after giving birth, she saw something the others around her didn’t: her cousin was showing signs of...
