On September 17, 2025, CFEED hosted its 3rd annual summit at Valencia College West. With over 100 attendees—both online and in person—representing K–12 districts, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and state leaders, the event showcased the power of multi-institutional collaboration to improve student pathways from K-12 through postsecondary graduation.
Opening Leadership Perspectives
The day began with opening remarks from Dr. Kathleen Plinske, President of Valencia College, and Dr. Mark Shanoff, Superintendent of the School District of Osceola County, who underscored the importance of cross-sector partnerships in advancing education
Engaging the Audience
The CFEED team led an interactive audience engagement session, prompting participants to share how they use data at their institutions, what challenges remain, and what new opportunities for collaboration might look like. This exchange highlighted the value of community-driven dialogue in shaping data solutions.
Key Sessions
- Unlocking Potential Through Education – Braulio Colón (Executive Director, Florida College Access Network) shared a powerful presentation using his own life story, illustrating the transformative impact education has on students’ futures. His message set the tone for the day, reminding attendees that behind every data point is a student whose opportunities can be expanded through access and collaboration.
- Strengthening the Transfer Pipeline – Dr. Kimberly Hardy (UCF) and Dr. Wendy Givoglu (Valencia College) presented findings from the Helios Transfer Scholars Initiative, a $1.3M grant-supported effort to improve transfer readiness and reduce “shock events” for students moving from Valencia to UCF. They also unveiled new images of the Helios Transfer Scholars dashboard, giving attendees a first look at how data is being used to track student progress and program impact.
- Building Better Pathways – Jayna Hazlewood (Midtown Consulting Group) introduced AI-informed degree planning tools designed to help students avoid toxic course combinations, stay on track, and improve graduation outcomes.
- State of CFEED – Diana Pienaar (CFEED Director) shared major updates, including:
- A 19% increase in summit attendance from 2024 to 2025
- New K–12 assessment data sources (FAST, B.E.S.T., SAT, ACT) expanding CFEED’s predictive models
- Research impacts such as the $35M Osceola Prosper initiative and the Helios-funded transfer grant
- New dashboards and apps launching in 2025–2026 to serve both the Downtown Campus and transfer candidates
- Academic Regression and Recovery – Ashton Terry (SDOC and CFEED Senior Manager), Jamie Stalker (MCG/CFEED BI Developer), and Andrew Maceyko (MCG/CFEED BI Developer) presented research on state assessment “slip-back” outcomes and how early interventions can help students “bounce back.”
Closing the Day
The summit concluded with remarks from Dr. Brandon McKelvey, Executive Vice President at Valencia College, who reflected on the progress made and the opportunities ahead for collaboration across Central Florida institutions.
Looking Ahead
The 2025 CFEED Summit reinforced that when institutions share data and work together, students benefit. From predictive AI models to targeted transfer supports, the insights shared underscored how multi-institutional collaboration can accelerate success at every step of the student journey.
We thank all of our speakers, attendees, and partners for making this year’s summit a success.
Learn More & Connect
To see how CFEED’s initiatives can benefit your institution or to get involved, visit CFEED’s Homepage and follow us on LinkedIn for updates and discussions about enhancing student success across Central Florida. For more information, please contact Diana Pienaar, CFEED Director at Valencia College, via email at dpienaar@valenciacollege.edu.
About CFEED
Central Florida Education Ecosystem Database (CFEED) is a partnership, comprised of the Helios Education Foundation, the School District of Osceola County (SDOC), Orange County Public Schools (OCPS), Valencia College (Valencia), and the University of Central Florida (UCF), along with Midtown Consulting Group, that is engaged in a collaborative program to develop insights and create impacts for students in Central Florida.
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