The NACUFS Financial Management Workshop is for anyone looking to advance their skills in the financial management of collegiate dining operations. It will take place on November 11–13, 2026, at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

This workshop will help you take your financial management skills to the next level! 

• Grow your skills in person, capitalizing on opportunities for networking and in-depth sharing

• Learn how to effectively communicate your operation's financial status to your team and university administration

• Develop dining plans to maximize revenue

• Identify opportunities to increase revenue and decrease expenses

• Strategically plan for equipment replacement and renovations

• Utilize the InSights Operating Ratios Study by NACUFS to enhance your operation

• Prepare a cost/benefit analysis using data from the InSights Operating Ratios Study by NACUFS

• Create a training plan for your staff to use financial data in decision-making

• Enhance your skills in understanding and creating reports and dashboards

"Strong financial management skills are vital to the successful management of foodservice operations.  NACUFS is bringing together leaders in the industry to learn and share ideas on financial management best practices in the Financial Management Workshop. This collaborative gathering will provide the opportunity to learn financial strategies to better serve students and our universities and colleges.”  -- Rich Neumann, M.S., FMP

** We recommend completing the online NACUFS Financial Management for Foodservice course, available on NACUFS Learn, before attending the workshop, or having the equivalent experience. Contact [email protected] with questions. **

NACUFS 2026 Financial Management Workshop  Agenda 

Wednesday, November 11

4:00 pm – Optional Campus Dining Tour

5:30 – 6:30 pm – Attendee Networking Engagement Reception 

Thursday, November 12 

8:00 am – Breakfast 

9:00 am – 5:30 pm – Financial Management Workshop (Day 1) 

Friday, November 13 

8:00 am – Breakfast 

9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Financial Management Workshop (Day 2) 

Hotel Options

Hampton Inn & Suites Madison Downtown  

440 W. Johnson St., Madison, WI 53703 

Rate: $139 per night plus taxes and fees 

Reserve your room here

Or call the hotel directly at 608-255-0360 and mention NACUFS 2026 to book directly under the group block. 

Conveniently located .2 miles from the Fluno Center. Rate includes a complimentary hot breakfast. 

Reserve your room by October 10, 2026 to secure the NACUFS rate. 

Fluno Center  

Rate: $160 per night plus taxes and fees 

Reserve your room here 

Or call toll-free +1-877-773-5866 or local +1-608-441-7117. Note NACUFS Fall Workshops for the NACUFS rate. 

Rate includes a hot breakfast buffet. 

Additional information will be sent to registrants as we get closer to the event date. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].  

We look forward to having you join us at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in November! 

At NACUFS' Engaging People Workshop, you'll spend two immersive days with your peers at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, gaining fresh perspectives on leadership, management, and employee retention. Whether you're an aspiring manager, new to management, or an experienced leader, the workshop offers practical tactics and valuable insights on motivation, conflict resolution, teamwork, recruitment, and more. 

This interactive course encourages collaboration among participants as you explore big-picture strategies and develop a comprehensive framework to manage your team effectively!

Unlock your full potential as a leader with these learning outcomes:

• Expand your professional network with individuals in collegiate foodservice who face similar challenges.

• Recognize how your preferred work style and the various styles within your team can serve as advantages through an informal personality profile.

• Understand the power of knowledge sharing to empower your staff, manage your time efficiently, and prioritize competing tasks effectively.

• Learn valuable tips for building professional relationships with peers, direct reports, and leaders.

• Develop confidence in handling difficult employee conversations and applying corrective actions by using attentive listening and feedback skills.

• Increase your awareness of how your communication style can influence your team, retain talent, attract new employees, and boost engagement. 

• Explore opportunities for self-reflection, practicing new skills, and developing action plans.

What are your peers saying about the workshop?

“This workshop is great for anyone who manages people, whether new in their leadership role or doing it for many years.”

“I thought that this workshop was wonderful, and I would love for more of my colleagues to take this workshop.”

“I can apply what I learned and immediately put it into execution. Most importantly, it enabled me to become and see myself as a better leader.”

“My biggest takeaway was how to show appreciation to others.”

“Jodi provided me specific direction around employee skill set development opportunities for my organization. I plan on presenting these ideas to my manager.”

“Attending the Engaging People Workshop was an eye-opening experience for me and changed my perspective on how I lead others. I plan to enroll all managers from my own team in the workshop!”

___

NACUFS 2026 Engaging People Workshop Agenda 

Tuesday, November 10

2:00 to 4:00 pm - Registration

3:00 pm – Optional Campus Dining Tour

Wednesday, November 11

7:45 am to 5 pm - Registration

8:00 to 8:45 am – Breakfast 

9:00 am to 5:00 pm – Engaging People Workshop (Day 1) 

5:30 to 6:30 pm – Attendee Networking Engagement Reception 

Thursday, November 12 

8:00 am – Breakfast 

9:00 am to 5:00 pm – Engaging People Workshop (Day 2) 

Hotel and travel information is available on the NACUFS website. Additional information will be sent to registrants as we get closer to the event date. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].  

In this recorded Virtual Town Hall, you will hear from four dining directors as they respond to audience questions, share insights into their diverse meal plan offerings, and explore trends, innovation, structure, and design. The panel discusses their programs, policies, current challenges, guidance on implementing changes, and best practices for launching new initiatives.

Moderator: 

Kory Samuels, Associate Vice President, Auxiliary Services, Finance and Administration at the Rochester Institute of Technology

Panelists:

Garett DiStefano, Director, Dining Services, University of Massachusetts

Eric Blackledge, Executive Director for Campus Dining & Shops, University at Buffalo

Jeffrey Palmer, Director of Dining at the University of California - San Diego

When trauma affects a college campus, dining professionals often play a crucial role in the response, experiencing the impact both personally and as a team. This microlearning course, developed by NACUFS in collaboration with Riverside Trauma Center, provides strategies for recognizing stress reactions, creating a supportive workplace, and building resilience in yourself and your colleagues. 

Learn how to establish stability, communicate with compassion, and promote well-being following difficult events. This will enable you and your team to recover together and continue making a positive difference.

Join Sabrina Hafner, MS, RD, LDN (UMass Dining), Sharniquia White, MS, RD, LDN (Spartan Dining at UNC Greensboro), and Tiffany Leon, MS, RD (FARE) for a discussion on allergen safety in campus dining.

Hear how campus dining staff confront daily operational challenges to ensure safety in high-volume environments, demanding attention to detail, transparency, and a culture of accountability. Rather than just discussing policy, the panelists share successes and failures, pivots, and student safety. The panel responds to audience questions and discusses how dining directors, culinary leads, and dietitians actively bridge the gap between a written allergen policy and the physical plate of food to ensure the safety of the student.

Recorded on May 12, 2026.

Leading with resilience amid constant dining changes -- including challenges related to recruitment, retention, and decline -- requires adopting a "quick pause" moment, where managers take a step back to make proactive decisions rather than reacting in a knee-jerk manner. Key strategies include prioritizing well-being, embracing emotional intelligence, being transparent, and identifying a mental safe space.

Learning Session + Q & A

From Notes to Next Steps: Learn how to help your team share the inspiration from NACUFS conference attendance with this microlearning video!

You can't send everyone to each opportunity NACUFS offers, but that doesn't mean the team shouldn't benefit from the experience of those who can attend. 

Rachel Stefancic, from The Ohio State University, explains how OSU prepares attendees ahead of conferences, so that they are prepared to gather knowledge and connections and return to campus ready to present what they learned.

In today’s rapidly shifting higher education landscape, long-term success depends on leadership that understands how to adapt quickly. Drawing from her Win-Win Workplace Framework and her New York Times bestselling book, Dr. Angela Jackson shares strategies for building agile leadership teams that thrive in complexity. Explore how to activate frontline leaders, strengthen decision-making, and create leadership models that adapt quickly to change.

Learning Objective: Apply strategies for building agile leadership teams, empowering frontline leaders, and strengthening decision-making to effectively navigate complexity and drive institutional adaptability. 

This webinar is a part of the Talent Management and Professional Intelligence learning domains within the NACUFS Body of Knowledge.

Executive Leadership Webinar Series 2025: Leading Through Change

Advance your leadership skills and adapt to today’s rapidly changing higher education environment.

This three-part series is designed for senior dining leaders who seek to lead with purpose, agility, and vision during times of transformation. Hear directly from thought leaders who will explore data-driven decision-making, purpose-centered leadership, and building agile, effective teams.

Part 1: Adapting to Rapidly Changing Higher Education Landscape & the Role of Data 

• Dr. Drew Allen, Associate Provost for Institutional Research & Analytics, Harvard University

Part 2: Leading with Purpose to Build Resilient Organizations

• Dr. Ryan P. Brown, Managing Director for Measurement, The Doerr Institute for New Leaders, Rice University

Part 3: The Win-Win Workplace: Creating Agile and Effective Leadership Teams 

• Dr. Angela Jackson, Best-Selling Author, Senior Adviser to the Harvard Project on Workforce, and founder of Future Forward Strategies

Gain actionable insights that connect personal growth with organizational success.

Foodservice in higher education is always growing and changing to meet the needs of our students. Construction and renovation are a big piece of this change.  In this webinar, we will look at the different stages of projects from design to schematics, along with who to involve as stakeholders, as well as the financial impact of the project.

Geared towards Dining Directors, Auxiliary Directors, Associate Directors, Operations Managers, and anyone involved in capital planning (finance people, marketing, etc.), this recorded webinar will cover the following learning objectives. 

• Describe the key stages of a construction or renovation project, from initial concept to schematic design.

• Identify essential campus and external stakeholders to involve at each phase of the project.

• Evaluate the financial considerations and budget impacts of facility updates in collegiate dining operations.