2026 GAA Annual Meeting
Post-Event Resources and Feedback
Thank you for attending this year's GAA Annual Meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee! We hope you had an excellent experience this year, and we can't wait to see you in Hilton Head in 2027!
Below you will find speaker information and presentations, as well as a feedback form to help our team improve your experience next year.
Feedback Form
Please submit your feedback by September 25th, 2026 to be entered into a $50 Visa Gift Card drawing. Thank you!
Speakers and Presentations
Day 1 | September 9, 2026
Move For Hunger: Making Move Outs More Sustainable
Facilitated by Hannah Lane
This year, GAA partnered with Move For Hunger to pack 500 snack kits to help feed 2,000 neighbors in need. We greatly appreciate all your help in packing these much needed kits. You can learn more about partnering with with Move For Hunger below.
Living Off The Wall: Using Music to Shift
Presented by Shawntá Hooks
Today’s leaders are navigating more pressure, change, and complexity than ever before. In this engaging keynote, Shawntà Hooks uses neuroscience, storytelling, and the music that shaped a generation to show how leaders can stay grounded, think clearly, and lead authentically under pressure. You can access the Living off the Wall Reset Kit below, which includes a digital copy of The Inner Audit Workpaper, access to the Pattern Intelligence Assessment, and the Decision Clarity GPT.
Leading What’s Next: Preparing Multifamily Leaders for an Era of Transformation
Panel facilitated by Anne DeMartini, JD, MEd, APTD
Panel: Jeanne Hatten, Scott Hawley, Jene' Cox, CPM®, & Shatori Floyd, CAM, CAPS
The multifamily industry is navigating a period of transformation, driven by shifting workforce expectations, emerging technologies, economic pressures, and increasing demands on leaders at every level. From preparing for the impact of AI and developing the next generation of talent to redefining success and building high-performing teams, today's leaders are being challenged to approach their roles in new ways.
In this engaging panel discussion, participants shared their perspectives on the changing nature of leadership in multifamily housing and the mindsets needed to guide organizations into the future.
Day 2 | September 10, 2026
Breaking the Gravity of Average in Multifamily Leadership (Opening Keynote)
Presented by Mike Howard
In this high-energy keynote, former NASA team member Mike Howard shared proven successful principles from his time at NASA while showing leaders how to elevate performance by creating a vision for excellence, embracing change, reprogramming their mindset for higher achievement, strengthening communication, and leveraging the power of connection to bring out the best in their teams.
View Presentation View Post Keynote Handout
Retention, Risk & Results: Protecting Your Team and Your Property
Presented by Ed Ware, CAMT, PCA Profiler
Employee turnover, compliance gaps, and fraud exposure are often treated as separate issues - but they’re more connected than most teams realize. This session brought together real-world strategies to retain maintenance professionals and site teams while maintaining strong service standards, improving compliance, and reducing operational risk.
The Maintenance Talent Pipeline: Creating Career Pathways That Work
Presented by Trevino Gresham & Tatiana Dwight
The future of multifamily depends on attracting, developing, and retaining skilled maintenance professionals. HR and maintenance leaders shared strategies for building talent pipelines, creating career pathways, and developing the next generation of industry talent.
Advocacy - Why it Matters
Presented by Jordan Jones, M. Ed., AAA/GAA Director of Policy & Government Affairs
Multifamily Throwdown: Industry Edition
A high-energy, interactive game show–style session where multifamily professionals competed to guess top survey responses to real industry questions.
Hosted by Ryan Hemphill
Participants
| Team Orange (2026 Winners) | Team Green |
| Ginger Ashton | Chris Lincoln |
| Lexi Kitchens | Tony Huntzinger |
| Philip Klinkenberg | Nermina Trozic |
| Jene' Cox, CPM® | Lisa Viator |
| Whitney Pope | Jessica Tripp |
Day 3 | September 11, 2026
How to Control AI Before It Controls You (Closing Keynote)
Presented by Beth Z
Most AI talks are all hype and no help. This keynote is different. In How to Control AI Before It Controls You, Beth Z moves beyond the “wow” factor and gets real about what’s happening as we use AI every day - the good, the bad, and the quietly risky habits we’re developing along the way. This session isn’t about using more AI. It’s about using it better.
Feedback Form
Please submit your feedback by September 25th, 2026 to be entered into a $50 Visa Gift Card drawing. Thank you!