The 20th International IPS Learning Community Annual Meeting will be held at the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter in Covington, KY on April 28 – 29 (half day), 2026.
DAY GUEST REGISTRATION AVAILABLE!
We’ve reached capacity in our room block at this hotel, but you can still attend by registering as a day guest. This means that you are responsible for making your own hotel arrangements at a nearby hotel. Registration covers attendance on both days and meals.
This hotel sits along the banks of the Ohio River, offering stunning views of downtown Cincinnati. Its prime location provides easy access to the city—just a short stroll across the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge. Guests can walk to several popular attractions, including The Banks, Cincinnati’s lively riverfront district filled with dining and entertainment, and the Great American Ball Park. On the Covington side, a variety of local eateries and bars—from cozy pubs to scenic riverside restaurants—are also just steps away.
We encourage participation from the five stakeholder groups: mental health leader, vocational rehabilitation leader, IPS trainer, family leader, and peer leader.
The conference meeting will include keynote speakers and discussion groups. All topic areas related to employment and recovery. Examples of topic areas include personal recovery stories; learning communities: new research findings, mental health and vocational rehabilitation partnerships for IPS; and international updates.
We have reached capacity in our room block, but you can attend by registering as a day guest. This means that you are responsible for making your own hotel arrangements for the night of April 27th and April 28th at a nearby hotel.
The per-person conference fee for individuals attending as day guests is $650.00 and includes conference meals (breakfast, lunch and the awards dinner on April 28th, and breakfast on April 29th). You are also responsible for your own hotel stay at another hotel, travel expenses and onsite parking, if needed.
Registration will close once we reach full capacity.
To register as a Day Guest, please click here.
The International IPS Learning Community Annual Meeting
Covington, KY
Meeting Agenda
Note: This is a draft agenda and schedule times/speakers may change.
April 28, 2026
7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast and Registration
8:15 – 8:30 Sarah Swanson, Welcome
8:30 – 9:00 Back to Work Story-Drew
9:00 – 9:45 Speaker: Richard Bell, Zero Exclusion
9:45 – 10:00 Break
10:00 – 11:15 Discussion Groups
11:25 – Noon IPS Research Update, Ana Carolina Florence, Ph.D.
Noon – 1:30 Lunch
1:30 – 2:00 Will McGuire, Ph.D.: Outcome Data to Support Fidelity Reviews
2:00 – 2:30 Tim Kautz, Mathematica: Next Gen Study for Individuals with Justice Involvement
2:30 – 2:45 Break
2:45 – 3:50 Discussion Groups
4:00 – 4:30 MDRC: BEES Study
5:30 Reception (cash bar)
6:30 Conference Dinner and Awards
April 29, 2026
7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast
8:15 – 9:00 Back to work story
9:00 – 9:45 Holly Synder, Trauma Informed Care and IPS
9:45 – 10:00 Break
10:00 – 11:30 Discussion Groups
11:30 – 11:45 Family/Lived Experience Committee
Noon Meeting Wrap
Ana Florence, PhD
Dr. Florence studies how people living with serious mental illness and autism can flourish and build the kinds of lives they choose—lives that include work, connection, and the ordinary hopes that make communities whole. She leads national and international research on Individual Placement and Support (IPS), the evidence-based approach that helps people with psychiatric disabilities return to competitive employment and community life. Her projects range widely. In Kentucky, she leads a randomized controlled trial funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, testing how IPS can open pathways to work for adults on the autism spectrum. In California, she serves as Principal Investigator for the Data Infrastructure Development within the IPS Center of Excellence, part of the BH-CONNECT initiative. Her team applies a learning healthcare system framework to build a statewide data platform that supports continuous quality improvement and strengthens the implementation of evidence-based practices so Californians receive the care they need to flourish.
Tim Kautz, Ph.D.
Tim Kautz, Ph.D., is a Senior Researcher at Mathematica, where he specializes in designing and conducting studies in education and labor. He serves as Deputy Project Director for the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation’s Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (NextGen) Project and as Principal Investigator for the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Related Populations & Long-Term Follow-Up Study. His research focuses on programs that support populations with low incomes and on methods for evaluating interventions aimed at improving education and employment outcomes, including design-based and Bayesian approaches.
Outside of Mathematica, Dr. Kautz is a network leader of the Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group and a Senior Fellow at the Behavior Change for Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. He has published articles in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature, Journal of the American Statistical Association, and The British Medical Journal. He is also a coauthor of The Myth of Achievement Tests: The GED and the Role of Character in American Life, a book examining the importance of skills not fully captured by achievement tests. He previously served on the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development’s Council of Distinguished Scientists. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.
Will McGuire
Will McGuire is a data and database manager supporting OnTrackNY and the IPS Employment Center’s implementation of IPS in California. His expertise is in data analysis and visualization with a special emphasis on fidelity evaluation. Before joining these programs, he was a research scientist in the NYS Office of Mental Health’s Office of Population Health and Evaluation, and an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Washington Tacoma before that. His research portfolio focuses on the use statistical methods of causal inference to policy-relevant questions using secondary data
Holly Snyder
Holly Snyder is an experienced Clinical Social Worker based in Lodi, California. She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from California State University, Chico. Holly began her career 13 years ago as a service coordinator in a supportive employment program for adults with disabilities and co-occurring psychiatric conditions. During this time, she played an integral role in transitioning from sheltered workshop environments to sustainable, community-based employment opportunities for individuals eager to work.
With extensive experience in career development, Holly has facilitated job readiness programs in Yolo County, helping individuals build skills and confidence to achieve their vocational goals. Today, she serves as a Mental Health Clinician with Solano County Behavioral Health, where she is passionate about supporting individuals on their recovery journeys. Holly focuses on enhancing key life domains which include self-sufficiency and employment to empower clients and promote long-term well-being.