Annual Conference of the Family Business Director's Alliance
Denver, Colorado | June 15-17, 2026
The Family Business Director's Alliance was formed in 2003 to bring together directors of university-based family business programs. While this remains an informal association of professionals, we welcome the participation of additional directors of family business programs in the academic space. There are approximately 50 centers dispersed throughout the United States and Canada that are affiliated with the Family Business Alliance.
Each year, the Alliance hosts an annual meeting at one of the participating campuses. Attendees include directors, program managers, university officials and key stakeholders. In 2026 the Bailey Program for Family Enterprise at the University of Denver welcomes you to Denver, Colorado!
Conference Details
The full conference begins downtown Denver Monday, June 15th at 4 p.m., with a happy hour of mingling and introductions, followed by a dinner and the first session. All day Tuesday, the conference will continue at the University of Denver campus and Wednesday we will be back in downtown Denver, concluding at 1pm after lunch.
The conference fee of $550 covers the program, snacks and the following meals: Monday dinner, Tuesday lunch and dinner, and Wednesday lunch.
Conference Investment
$550 per conference attendee
Pre and Post-conference fees are extra and will be communicated to those who register
Travel & Accomodations
Travel: Fly into Denver International Airport and either take a ride share or there is a RTD light rail that will take you to Union Station downtown.
Hotel: We have a block of rooms at the Magnolia Hotel Denver for $189/night. The dates will automatically populate in the group block, but you can modify them based on your travel.
Agenda
Monday, June 15th
Pre-Conference Activity at the Denver Botanic Gardens 1007 York St. Denver
12-3pm: Picnic and Walking
Conference Kickoff at Cholon Modern Asian 1555 Blake St #101, Denver
4pm: Happy Hour Mingling
5pm: Dinner with Conversation on Membership Value and Benefits
7pm: Optional Nighttime Activities in Downtown Denver
Tuesday, June 16th
Daniels College of Business Conference Day
9:00am: Session on “Your Best Event”
10:30am: Session on “Building High-Value Sponsorship Packages”
11:45am: Campus walk, Lunch, Group Photo
1:00pm: Session on “Storytelling with Data”
1:15pm: Peer Group Breakouts by Role
2:30pm: Session on “The Family Business Lifecycle and How Our Services Align to Serve” with guest speaker Kim Schneider Malek
4:00pm transportation downtown and break
Dinner at Jovanina's Broken Italian, 1520 Blake St, Denver
6:30pm: Dinner
8:30pm: Optional Nighttime Activities in Downtown Denver
Wednesday, June 17th
Rockmount Ranch Wear 1626 Wazee St. Denver
8:30am: Family Business Site Tour of Rockmount
J.P Morgan 1455 16th St. Denver, Suite 407
9:15am: Session on “Hosting Signature Events”
10:30am: Session on “Engaging Rising Gen”
12:00pm: Lunch and Next Steps for the Alliance Calls, Conference, etc. Sue, Jill, Liz
1:00pm: Farewell
3:00-8pm: Post-Conference Adventure to Golden
Thursday, June 18th
Helena’s House, between downtown and airport
8:00am: Breakfast meeting for those still in town
Sessions are being planned by the conference planning committee:
- Helena Karchere: University of Denver
- Angie Jones: University of Toledo
- Jon Keimig: St Thomas University
- Angela Ireton: University of Denver
- Jill McCall: Loyola University
- Liz Fidanovski: DePaul University
- Cha Mi Fung: DePaul University
- Candace Bensel: University of Louisville
- Jacob Jones: Penn State
More Things to Explore in Denver
Denver Zoo
- 2300 Steele St, Denver, CO 80205
Denver Botanic Gardens
- 1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206
City Park
- 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80205
Larimer Square
Walking distance from the hotel with a fun selection of shops and restaurants.
Colorado State Capitol
Free guided tours offered Mon-Fri, on the hour between 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Denver Art Museum
- 1338 1st St, Denver, CO 80204
History Colorado Center
- 1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203