The 2026 R2 Conference
Roompact + Residence Life
October 21 – 23
Anaheim, California
The R2 Conference is an exclusive experience for Roompact schools that provides a dynamic mix of sessions focusing on high impact practices within residence life and education and how to leverage Roompact’s software, resources, and services to the fullest effect. We hope to see you there!
More details will be forthcoming.
Propose A Session:
The conference will offer a number of concurrent sessions offered by Roompact staff, Fellows, and users like you. If you’d like to propose a session, click into the form to apply. All accepted presentations will receive one waived registration fee (only one free/waived registration per program, even if there are multiple presenters).
All sessions are 50 minutes long and presenters will have access to all the standard technology you would expect.
Proposal Deadline: June 30, 2026
Confirmations Sent: July 15, 2026
Potential Topics: We’re looking for the best in residence life practice. One of the best things about Roompact is that it attracts schools doing some of the most advanced work in residence life. Roompact schools have a deep interest in developing strong and engaged communities, promoting student development, learning and competency development, and providing care, support, and individualized interventions. Although all participants will be Roompact users not all sessions need to include a Roompact software angle (although that’s certainly a bonus!). Examples include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Highlight your model or a best practice that has produced results for your students or staff
- Show off a process that leverages Roompact’s software to help you be more efficient or effective
- Share your design tips and processes for collecting and using data to inform practice
Registration:
Registration costs includes all conference sessions and all meals and socials.
Early Registration Cost: $249 (until 1/20/26)
Regular Registration Cost: $349 (until 7/31/26)
Late Registration Cost: $449
Registration is open.
* Refunds. We do not issue refunds for cancellations, but we can transfer your registration to another attendee. If you have extenuating circumstances, please reach out to us.
** ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach (ICA) will be happening nearby and will be ending immediately before our conference kicks off, making it easy to attend both. We have secured discounts for Roompact schools attending the Institute. Ask us for details before registering for ICA.
Hotel Information:
The Anaheim Hotel
The site of the conference will be at The Anaheim Hotel, directly across the street from Disneyland. It’s got that mid-century modern aesthetic that The Incredibles would love.
Rate: $209 (+36.02 Taxes & Fees)
(Be a bit patient with the hotel website. If the discount doesn’t auto-apply, just let us know.)
Address:
1700 S Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92802
Closest Airports:
- 16 miles to John Wayne Airport (SNA)
- 25 miles to Long Beach Airport (LGB)
- 34 miles to LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT)
- 34 miles to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- 41 miles to Bob Hope Airport (BUR)
Schedule-At-A-Glance:
Schedule specifics still subject to change.
The registration desk will be open starting Wednesday from 1pm to 5pm. If arriving after after 5pm, you can head straight to Splitsville.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
| 2:00pm – 4:00pm | Roompact 101 Training (Optional Pre-Con) |
| 6:00pm – 9:00pm | Dinner & Social Splitsville (in Downtown Disney) |
Thursday, October 22, 2026
| 8:00am – 9:50am | Breakfast Introductory Remarks starting at 9am |
| 10:00am – 10:50am | Concurrent Session 1 |
| 11:00am – 11:50am | Concurrent Session 2 |
| Noon – 1:30pm | Lunch and Keynote |
| 2:00pm – 2:50pm | Concurrent Session 3 |
| 3:00pm – 3:50pm | Concurrent Session 4 |
| 4:00pm – 4:50pm | Concurrent Session 5 |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:30pm | Social |
Friday, October 23, 2026
| 8:00am – 10:00am | Breakfast and Open Consults with Roompact Fellows and Staff |
| 10:00am – 11:00am | The ResEdChat Podcast LIVE! |
Speakers:
Dr. Amanda Knerr (she/her) has spent nearly 30 years in housing and residence life—starting as a student staff member and now a senior housing officer. Amanda strives to bring passion, purpose, curiosity, and innovation to her work. A proud Wittenberg, Ball State, and Penn State grad, Amanda is known nationwide for her work with the curricular approach, student learning, and shaping strong teams. But her favorite part? Mentoring rising pros and helping students thrive.
Dr. Crystal Lay (she/her) is a podcast host for ResEdChat. She is also a residence life professional with over 20 years of experience in higher education. Her professional interests include diversity and equity, retention of staff of color, and creating a sense of belonging for students. She enjoys learning, reading, cooking, and spending time with family.
Natasha Monteith (she/her/hers) is currently a Leadership Development Program Evaluator and an Educational Research Methodology Ph.D. student. Before that, she spent multiple years in residence life in undergraduate, graduate, and professional settings. Natasha believes in creating more engaging and thought-provoking learning experiences for students through meaningful assessment practices. To do this, she believes that using collaborative, culturally responsive assessment practices and building a culture where assessment reports do not live on a shelf are crucial. That is also why her research area of interest is data literacy for student affairs professionals. When she has time without a to-do list, you can find her curled up with her cats, a mystery book, and a latte from a local coffee shop.
Dr. Kaleigh Mrowka (she/her) is a restorative practice scholar, trainer, consultant, and leader with over a decade of experience in restorative facilitation in college and university environments. Her work considers the ways that dialogue and restorative practice can be used to co-create healthier and more community-centered organizations, and she has worked with dozens of colleges and universities seeking to build more relational and restorative campus organizational cultures. Kaleigh began her career in residential life and is passionate about the ways that students learn from both their curricular and co-curricular college experiences. She holds a B.A. In Speech Communication from Ithaca College, a M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from SUNY Buffalo State and a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Culture at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In her current role, Kaleigh serves as the Director of Campus Culture Transformation at the Constructive Dialogue Institute where she collaborates with campus leadership to build healthier campus cultures where dialogue across differences can thrive.
Dr. Erin Simpson (she, her, hers) serves the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Oklahoma as an Assistant Vice President and Assistant Dean of Students. She has the good fortune to work with a wide array of departments that serve students through advocacy and education, community connections and student engagement, and orientation programs. Erin also supervises the Student Affairs curriculum and assessment of divisional efforts. She frequently consults with institutions across the country to bring scalable, equity minded practices to divisions of Student Affairs. Her work is dedicated to creating spaces for all students to feel welcomed and affirmed.
More Speakers To Be Announced
