Call for Presenters - 2025 NASWA Veterans Conference

Planners for the 2025 National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) Veterans Conference are seeking workshop presenters and panelists from external stakeholders who can provide learning opportunities for conference attendees on a variety of topics relevant to serving our nation’s Veterans, Transitioning Service Members, caregivers and military spouses, and the employers who hire them.

This year’s conference will again include several Veteran-focused themes: serving specific Veteran populations, military spouses, disabled Veterans, barriers to employment, employers, state promising practices, and transitioning from the military to a civilian career. Presenters are encouraged to consider these topics, but we have also provided a list of suggested subject areas below, as well as more information about the conference itself. Please do not feel you are limited to these topical areas. If you have developed a great idea, a better way of doing business, or saved time/money with a new process, please share it!

The proposal submission deadline is COB Friday, April 4, 2025. Please email your proposal with all requested materials to Lori Adams, NASWA Senior Policy Director, at ladams@naswa.org.

Workshop Presentations and Panels

Both employer panels and breakout sessions will be 60 minutes in length. Presenters should either allow time for audience questions throughout the session, or leave time for questions and answers at the end to encourage interactive workshops. Presenters are expected to exhibit a high level of professionalism, and to begin and end their presentations on time. Session moderators will be members of NASWA, NASWA staff, the Vets Committee, or one of our agency partners. There is a maximum of three presenters per panel or workshop.

All presentations should have the primary objective of providing information, education or opportunity for the attendees. Presentations should not include any overt solicitation on behalf of any individual, vendor, product, organization or commercial activity; the conference offers paid exhibit space to promote products and/or services. Presenters who have presented at previous NASWA events should reference that information in their proposal. Presenters must submit a copy of their presentation to the program committee by the designated deadline. These presentations will be made available to conference attendees on the NASWA website after the event.

We will be adding more workshops to this year’s conference, and hope to have some available more than once. That was one of the biggest issues shared by respondents to the 2024 conference survey – not enough opportunities to attend the sessions they wanted to attend. Unfortunately, we are not able to record individual workshops, or offer live streaming. Plans are not finalized, but workshops could be featured on all three days of the conference. There is no requirement to do so, but please indicate in your proposal if you are willing to repeat your session. If you are willing to present your topic in a plenary session, please let us know that as well.

Instructions for Submitting a Proposal

Response Format

Interested presenters need to provide the following information for either a panel, workshop, or both. Multiple proposals are welcome. All proposals must be in this format:

Presenter Name(s)
Presenter Job Title(s)
Company/Organization Name
Address(es)
Telephone Number(s)
Email address(es)
Proposed Presentation Title
Proposed Presentation Description (three-paragraph maximum). Please indicate your preference for Panel Discussion or Workshop.
A 75-word Abstract Describing the Presentation for the Conference Program including at least two learning objectives
Brief biography of each presenter
Photograph of each presenter, preferably in .jpeg format (minimum 300 dpi) for inclusion in the Conference Program
Audio Visual Support Needed
Has this presentation been offered at a previous NASWA conference? If yes, when and where?
Are you willing to present this information in more than one session?
Contact information for two (2) professional references (name, title, organization, email and phone number)
Contact name and number the day of the presentation

How to Submit

Please email your proposal with all requested materials to Lori Adams, NASWA Senior Policy Director, at ladams@naswa.org, by COB Friday, April 4, 2025.

NASWA Vet Committee leadership will review all proposals and help select final presenters. All presenters and panelists will be notified no later than May 2, 2025, if their proposal was selected. Thank you for your interest in the 2025 NASWA Veterans Conference.
NASWA will provide a laptop, projector, screen, and wireless internet. Presentation proposals should include any specific A/V requirements.
If you are interested in also being part of a panel discussion, please indicate that on your proposal.

For additional information, questions, or concerns with regard to the speaker protocol, or to request information about conference sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Lori Adams
Senior Policy DirectorNational Association State Workforce Agencies
ladams@naswa.org | (202) 939-3035 | (515) 418-2430 (cell)

About the Conference

The COVID-19 pandemic forced both the 2020 and 2021 conferences to be virtual, but we returned to the in-person format in 2022. 410 people were registered for last year’s conference, but we also had many more people there for one day who were presenting, or supporting a colleague. Most attendees were state employees who work directly with Veterans, eligible spouses and Transitioning Service Members, along with the Federal partners, employers and Veteran Service Organizations. We will soon be announcing keynote and plenary speakers, and the format for 2025. We will be at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC, July 9-11, 2025. More information about the conference will be available at www.naswa.org

Conference Benefits

Selected presenters and panelists can attend the conference and if in person, participate in events at no charge if staying for that day only, and do not consume any meals. Registration costs at the appropriate member/non-member/sponsor/exhibitor rate will apply if presenters and panelists plan to stay for the entire conference. All other in-person expenses – hotel, parking, airfare, and ground transportation – will be the responsibility of the presenter or panelist. Please note that participation in conference planning, or sponsorship, does not guarantee selection as a presenter or panelist.

Visit the 2025 NASWA Veterans Conference event site