Published on: August 10, 2026
An ATIXA Tip of the Week by Brett A. Sokolow, J.D.
The compliance questions are harder. The expectations keep growing. And if you’ve somehow reached the point where you know everything there is to know about Title IX… congratulations. Please come teach for us. Some of our best hires were once our best students.
In all seriousness, our work has grown beyond Title IX alone. Whether you’re navigating athletics, Title VI, evolving state requirements, shifting institutional priorities, or the increasingly interconnected nature of civil rights compliance, staying effective means continuing to learn, question, and adapt.
With that in mind, here are my top ten reasons to join us in Baltimore this October at the 2026 ATIXA and NABITA Joint Annual Conference.
10. The Work Keeps Changing. So Should You.
Even if the regulations haven’t changed dramatically, your campus or school district probably has. Leadership turns over. Teams grow or shrink. New responsibilities emerge. Investigations become more nuanced. What worked a year ago may not be enough today.
Professional development isn’t about checking a box. It’s about staying ready for the challenges you haven’t seen yet, especially given the ways that different administrations in Washington prioritize enforcement differently.
9. Someone Else Has Already Solved Your Problem
One of my favorite parts of every conference isn’t necessarily what happens during sessions. It’s what happens outside of them. Sometimes the conversation starts with, “Can I run something by you?” and ends with pages of notes.
If you’re wrestling with a complicated investigation, trying to improve your supportive measures process, building hearing capacity, navigating staffing shortages, or wondering how another institution approached a difficult situation, chances are someone at ATIXA’s conference has already managed that and can guide you through it.
8. Artificial Intelligence Isn’t Replacing Actual Judgment
AI is changing how we work, and we’ll spend plenty of time discussing how institutions can use these tools responsibly. But here’s what AI still can’t do well: assess credibility, exercise discretion, balance competing institutional interests, manage your risk, or replace ethical judgment. It can’t even write a decent investigation report yet, and believe me, we’ve tried.
The future isn’t about replacing experienced professionals. It’s about helping experienced professionals make sound, defensible decisions more efficiently.
7. Prevention Has Become the New Standard of Care
Increasingly, institutions aren’t judged only by how they respond after something happens. They’re evaluated by what they did beforehand. Lawsuits are more prevalent again, and the settlements and judgments are trending to seven figures more often than six. Prevention is literally cheaper. Yikes.
- Did they recognize warning signs?
- Did departments communicate?
- Were concerns documented?
- Did systems work together?
- Was grooming behavior identified accurately?
- Was a predation detection protocol in place?
That’s a very different conversation than simply asking, “Did we follow the policy?”
Whether your focus is Title IX, Title VI, ADA/504, behavioral intervention, student conduct, HR, or institutional compliance, prevention has become everyone’s responsibility. We offer training across these disciplines. Check out the event schedule and enroll in a certification training before or after the conference.
6. The Toughest Issues Don’t Respect Org Charts
If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “Technically, this belongs to another department,” you’ve probably learned that complex problems rarely fit neatly into one team’s remit. The most challenging situations involve multiple offices, multiple perspectives, and multiple areas of expertise.
Title IX doesn’t operate in isolation, and neither should professional development. This year’s theme for our second annual joint conference is “Solutions Emerge When Disciplines Converge.” By bringing together Title IX, behavioral intervention, student conduct, legal counsel, HR, and threat assessment professionals, we’re creating opportunities for conversations that don’t always happen within the day-to-day rhythm of our work.
5. Leave with Things You Can Actually Use Monday Morning
A good conference gives you ideas. A great conference changes how you work. You’ll leave with investigation techniques, documentation approaches, policy ideas, implementation tips, and conversations you can take back to your institution immediately.
The goal isn’t to return home with a conference tote bag full of handouts you’ll never look at again. It’s to return with better strategies than the ones you arrived with.
4. Build Your Network Before You Need It
When a difficult situation lands within your purview, that’s not the ideal time to start looking for someone to call. The relationships you make at this conference can become trusted colleagues you rely on for months or even years to come. Professional friendships are priceless, especially when the phone rings at 4:45 p.m. on a Friday.
3. Learn from People Who Do This Work Every Day
Our expert faculty aren’t professional speakers who occasionally consult. They’re investigators, Title IX Coordinators, attorneys, hearing officers, behavioral intervention professionals, administrators, student affairs and student conduct professionals, and consultants who continue to see and advise on these issues every day. They don’t just know the theory. They know what happens when the theory meets reality.
2. Spend a Week with People Who Speak Your Language
There’s something energizing about being surrounded by professionals who understand your work without needing a lengthy explanation. You don’t have to explain why a seemingly simple question is complicated or why one complaint can consume weeks of careful thought.
You don’t have to explain why good processes matter. You simply get to learn alongside people who understand the weight and importance of the work you do. It’s refreshing to spend a few days where no one asks, “What’s a supportive measure?”
1. Experience the ATIXA Capstone
If I had to choose one reason to attend this year’s conference, the ATIXA Capstone Experience (ACE) would be it.
ATIXA’s experts draw on decades of experience advising institutions through complex, high-stakes situations to challenge participants to think strategically, defend their reasoning, and learn from one another through structured peer dialogue. This is ATIXA’s famed problem-solving approach at its most advanced.
ACE places experienced practitioners in realistic, multidisciplinary scenarios that require collaboration, critical thinking, sound judgment, and decision-making under pressure. Participants can work through ambiguity alongside colleagues from different disciplines to test ideas, explore different approaches, and even make mistakes without the real-world consequences.
That’s about as close as professional development gets to a flight simulator, and it’s designed for you to bring your team members and colleagues external to your office, to help get key stakeholders on the same page.
You Don’t Have to Know Everything
I hope you’ll join us in Baltimore this October. You’ll leave with new ideas, new connections, and maybe even a few answers to questions you haven’t thought to ask yet.
And if nothing else, you’ll return to campus with enough fresh ideas to convince your colleagues you were paying attention all week. See you in Baltimore!