2027 GAEL Winter Conference – Illuminate What Matters
The 2027 GAEL Winter Conference, themed “Illuminate What Matters,” is a professional-development gathering for Georgia educational leaders, organized by the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL). It is scheduled for January 31–February 2, 2027, at The Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, with both in-person and livestream registration options.
Leadership development focus
The conference organizes professional learning around three connected dimensions of leadership: developing oneself, developing other people, and developing the organization. Rather than treating leadership primarily as a collection of administrative techniques, the program emphasizes personal clarity and resilience, talent development and coaching, and organizational systems, culture, strategy, and community relationships.
Three learning strands
The first strand, Illuminate the Leader Within, focuses on self-awareness, resilience, purpose, and sustainable leadership. Kindle the Spark in Others centers on coaching, meaningful feedback, talent development, and building team capacity, while Light the Path Forward addresses organizational culture, systems, strategy, and relationships that can embed priorities beyond any individual leader.
Keynote speakers
The announced keynote lineup includes Laura Hope Whitaker, CEO of Extra Special People (ESP), and Scott Robley, Vice President of Learning Solutions at Crucial Learning. Their inclusion complements the conference’s broader emphasis on developing people and strengthening leadership capacity; GAEL identifies both as keynote speakers while noting that the published agenda is still a draft.
Attendance and registration
GAEL currently lists member registration at $460 and non-member registration at $610, with in-person and livestream formats available. The attendee cancellation deadline is January 12, 2027, with a $150 cancellation fee before that date and the full fee afterward; payment is due January 15. Because the conference is still in the future, agenda details remain subject to change.