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AWS Imagine Education, State, and Local Government

July 29 - 30, 2025 | Chicago, IL

Register now

Why attend?

Imagine what’s possible tomorrow, today.

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Connect and collaborate

The e.Republic expo is the hub of Imagine - a space to connect, create, and envision what AWS and AWS partners can help your organization bring to life. Explore how organizations like yours are working with partners to revolutionize constituent and student services for education and state and local government. Dive deeper with hands-on-demos, explore cutting edge tech, and connect with industry leaders.

Are you a partner who is interested in participating? Download the prospectus here and email us at aws-imagine-slgedu@haqm.com.

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Hear from leaders like you

With more than 20 breakout sessions featuring customer and partner stories highlighting real world solutions and transformative strategies, Imagine allows you to envision what’s possible for your organization. Explore four tracks: Modernization and Transformation, Generative AI, Data Security and Privacy, and Constituent and Student Services. Hear from peers who are embracing technological transformation, focusing on efficiency, tackling the challenge of change, and driving innovation within local and global communities that are revolutionizing technology landscapes.

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Envision what’s possible together

On the 2024 Imagine keynote stage, Kim Majerus, Vice President of Global Education and US State and Local Government, invited the audience to think big, together. With nearly 1,000 leaders in attendance, her message was clear: Learn and Be Curious. Imagine is more than a conference—it is a blueprint for the future. Discover how to unleash AI's endless opportunities, leverage HAQM Q and HAQM Bedrock, and accelerate innovation with data-driven insights. You are invited to do more than just dream, but rather to imagine what's possible as you write your next chapter. Transform potential into reality.

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Innovation IRL

Bring what you learn on the main stage to life with hands-on, interactive demos with experts you won’t meet anywhere else. Think outside of what you’re doing today. How can AI-powered chat bots enhance constituent experience with improved, self-service access to information? When AI can extract, classify, and process data from documents, automating processes that traditionally rely on paper forms and records- what efficiencies will that allow your agency to explore? How can you utilize HAQM Sagemaker Canvas to predict student performance without writing any code? With a Grant Generator that creates a comprehensive outline that can be modified with ease, what resources does that free up for your educational institution? Dive in, look ahead. 

Accommodations

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Hotel

Step into the legendary Hilton Chicago, a landmark of architectural marvel since 1927. Once the world's largest hotel, this historic venue has witnessed nearly a century of transformation—much like the technological evolution we'll explore at Imagine. When first opened, the Hilton Chicago boasted 3,000 guest rooms, a 27 chair barber shop, an on-site pharmacy, a candy shop, a five-lane bowling alley, a 1,200-Seat Movie theater, and an 18-Hole Rooftop Miniature Golf Course. Today, this iconic venue continues to be a backdrop for groundbreaking conversations, now hosting AWS leaders and innovators who are reshaping technology's future.

Parking
Parking is available at the hotel for $70/day in the self-park garage. Valet parking is unavailable. Explore nearby parking at SpotHero. 

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Room Block

We invite you to stay at the Hilton by utilizing the reserved room block. You can reserve your room via this booking link. The group code for access is AWS. Reservations can also be made by calling (877) 865-5320 and referring to the AWS Imagine Conference and/or the Group Code: AWS. Rooms must be booked by July 5, 2025.

Confirmation numbers will be emailed to each attendee once a reservation has been made. Reservations can be canceled up to 24 hours prior to arrival without penalty. No-show reservations will be charged a late cancellation fee equating to one night’s room and tax. In addition, any reservations not checked in on its scheduled date of arrival will be considered a No-Show, and reservations will automatically be cancelled. Please be sure to communicate any very late arrivals or last minute arrival date changes to the hotel at your earliest opportunity to avoid a No-Show charge.

Agenda at a glance

Overview

Imagine will take place over one and a half days, Tuesday, July 29th and Wednesday, July 30th. We encourage attendees to arrive in Chicago on Monday, July 28th.

Tuesday, July 29

8:00AM - 9:00AM CST: Registration, breakfast, expo
9:00AM - 11:00AM CST: Breakout sessions
11:00AM - 12:00PM CST: Keynote
12:00PM - 1:30PM CST: Lunch, networking
1:30PM - 4:30PM CST: Breakout sessions
4:30PM - 5:30PM CST: Day one reception

Wednesday, July 30

8:00AM - 9:00AM CST: Registration, breakfast, expo
9:00AM - 12:00PM CST: Breakout sessions
12:00PM CST: Main conference programming close, expo close

Agenda is subject to change.

Programming will be organized into three tracks:

Future-proof your organization: driving efficiency through modernization

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, modernization isn't just an option—it's essential for organizations to thrive and survive tomorrow's challenges. In this track discover how leading education and government organizations are revolutionizing their operations through cloud-powered transformation, implementing proven strategies that drive efficiency, enhance security, and elevate constituent services.

An early look at some of the sessions in this track:

Cloud Innovation in State Government: Lessons from Tennessee, Ohio, and Mississippi
Featuring Lynn Jennings, Executive Director, Cloud Enablement, State of Tennessee; Hoang Duong, Cloud Manager, State of Ohio; and Brian Norwood, Chief Operations Officer, State of Mississippi.

Leading Enterprise AI Transformation in Higher Education: Perspectives from ASU, Delaware, and Illinois Tech
Featuring Elizabeth Reilley, Executive Director AI Acceleration, Arizona State University, and more. 

Create a thriving community: improving the student and constituent experience through innovation

Imagine transforming every community interaction into an opportunity for excellence, where constituents and students receive more than just services—they experience meaningful connections that make a real difference. In this track you’ll learn how forward-thinking education and government leaders are revolutionizing service delivery to create better outcomes for the communities they serve.

An early look at some of the sessions in this track:

AI-Powered Innovation: From Campus to Government
Featuring Raju Gadiraju, Chief Information Officer, North Carolina Division of Employment Security; and Phil Kormany, Chief Innovation Officer, Maryville University; and more.

Transforming Public Sector Service Delivery: HAQM Connect Success Stories from State, Education, and Local Government
Featuring Prakash Paul, Deputy CIO, Dallas College, and more.

Meet your mission: aligning people, processes, and technology to maximize your impact

Success in today's public sector requires more than just tools—it demands the perfect alignment of people, processes, and technology to achieve extraordinary results. In this track, discover how education and government leaders are creating high-performing organizations where empowered workforces drive innovation and multiply mission impact.

An early look at some of the sessions in this track:

Leading Through Innovation: How America's Largest School Districts Are Transforming Education with Cloud Technology
Featuring Soheil Katal, Chief Information Officer, Los Angeles Unified; and Norman Fleming, Chief Information Officer, Chicago Public Schools.

Transforming Public Sector Efficiency: Generative AI in Action
Featuring David Casey, Secretary of Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue, Wisconsin Department of Revenue, and more.

Many more sessions to be announced.

FAQ

Imagine for education, state, and local government is designed for leaders who are eager to learn how they can better achieve their institution or organizational mission, improve the efficiency and operations of their organization, and be inspired by the “art of the possible” through cloud technology. Technical cloud experience is not required, and there will be content offerings ranging from introductory to advanced. The event is not intended for builders looking to dive deeper on their technical skills. We encourage developers, engineers, architects and other end users to attend other AWS events or explore our Learning Days series tailored for an education, state, and local government audience. 

Please register with your .org, .edu, or .gov email address, as the event is tailored for the public sector audience.

No, lmagine takes place in-person and will not be live streamed. Some sessions will be recorded and available on-demand post-event. 

No, the event is no-cost. 

To change or cancel your registration, or contact the team with questions, email aws-imagine@haqm.com.

There will be assistive listening devices available in the keynote, as well as American Sign Language (ASL). Designated accessible seating will be available in the keynote room and all breakouts. Many services can be made available upon advance request. To inquire about any of these services or to request a service you don't see listed, please reach out to aws-imagine@haqm.com.