I’m an energetic and engaging speaker who has keynoted regional, national, and international events on topics ranging from assessment and accountability. Participants report that I am able to demystify and deconstruct the concepts of assessment and accountability making them easy to comprehend. Drawing on my 15 years coordinating student affairsassessment at
two institutions, I can assist staff in connecting these concepts to their own work, regardless of functional area.

Here are a few things others have said about my speaking:

This year we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Gavin Henning as our keynote speaker to the Annual Student Affairs Assessment Symposium at the University at Albany. Dr. Henning’s presentation was insightful, informative, and reached an audience diverse in their knowledge of assessment and student learning. After his keynote, attendees understood that student affairs assessment is not just an activity, but a state of mind and is vital to the success of any Student Affairs division. One attendee stated that they left the conference with a “can do” attitude towards assessment because of Dr. Henning’s keynote. We would be happy to have Dr. Henning back in the future.

Michael N. Christakis, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Success & Public Service Professor
University at Albany

Gavin provided the keynote address for our first assessment training day for student affairs staff at Cornell. The title of his talk was “Building and Sustaining a Culture of Evidence.” I invited him to give this talk because I had heard him give it at the University at Albany earlier in the year, and I thought it was just what our staff needed to hear to shift their perspectives about assessment and understand its value to them and their work as well as to our students. Not only did he ask very important questions about what I was hoping to accomplish during this training day, he also helped me design the rest of the content; and it was just right!

Leslie S. Meyerhoff, Ph.D.
Director, Assessment and Planning
Cornell University

More testimonials can be found here.

Selected events at which Gavin has spoken.

• Assessment Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Keynote (October 2021)
• ACPA Institute on the Curricular Approach (December 2020)
• Illinois Community Colleges Assessment Fair (February 2019)
• North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Assessment Conference (June 2018)
• Bristol Community College Assessment Day (May 2018)
• University of Connecticut Student Affairs Assessment Day (May 2018)
• New England Assessment in Higher Education Conference (Ma7 2017)
• Higher Learning Commission Strategic Assessment Conference (July 2016)
• ACPA Student Affairs Assessment Institute (June 2016)
• Texas A&M Assessment Boot Camp (May 2016)
• University of Michigan Student Affairs Research Symposium – Ann Arbor, MI (May 2016)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology/European University and College Association Meeting – Boston, MA (July 2015)
• 18th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association – Port of Spain, Trinidad (June 2015)
• Cornell University Assessment Day – Ithaca, NH (April 2015
• Striving for Student Success Symposium – Boston, MA  (March 2015)
• Capital District Student Affairs Symposium – Albany, NY (January 2015)
• Small Colleges of Oregon and Washington Assessment Day – Tacoma, WA (October 2014)
• University of New Hampshire Assessment Day – Durham, NH (May 2014)
• 2nd Annual International Forum for Student Affairs – Monterrey, Mexico (June 2013)
• Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Region I Conference – Middletown, CT (November 2013)
• NASPA Region I Assessment Conference – Bridgewater, MA (March 2013)
• National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) Annual Conference – Nashville, TN (February 2013)
• Michigan State University Raines Colloquium Series – East Lansing, MI (October 2012)
• Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) Annual Conference – Anaheim, CA (July 2012)