CHICAGO, March 10, 2026 – Internet2 announced today that Adam Kronk, director of research and external engagement at Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, will deliver the opening keynote address at the 2026 Internet2 Community Exchange (CommEX26), April 13-16 in Chicago.
His keynote, “The DELTA Strategy: Navigating the Next Decade of Digital Transformation and AI,” will confront the defining pressures facing research and higher education (R&E) leaders: the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into teaching and learning, workforce disruption, federal funding uncertainty, and intensifying scrutiny around institutional ROI. The session is scheduled for April 14.
Drawing on a five-year initiative on human flourishing in the age of powerful AI, Kronk will share the DELTA framework — dignity, embodiment, love, transcendence, and agency — as an enduring lens for institutional decision-making. The framework provides the foundation needed to get it right, as IT leaders are being asked to innovate quickly and demonstrate instrumental value in a time of upheaval. Attendees will leave with strategic insights to lead AI integration in ways that strengthen academic integrity, workforce relevance, and institutional resilience.
“At this year’s Community Exchange, as AI accelerates change across research and higher education institutions, innovation must remain grounded in people and purpose,” said Mike Erickson, interim vice president for Community Engagement and Impact at Internet2. “Adam Kronk outlines a practical and hopeful path forward for advancing technology in ways that reflect and reinforce shared principles — and serve the common good.”
Kronk joins a lineup of CommEX26 speakers from Carnegie Mellon University, Kansas State University, Northwestern University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Illinois Chicago, the University of Maryland, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, alongside leaders from GÉANT, SURF, Great Plains Network, Louisiana Optical Network Infrastructure, REN-ISAC, ARIN, and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, as well as industry collaborators. Together, they bring diverse perspectives from across the global R&E community that resonate with leaders navigating rapid technological and fiscal change.
A Community-Driven Forum for Research and Education IT Leaders
CommEX26 convenes R&E IT leaders and decision-makers, including chief information officers, network directors, security professionals, cloud architects, research computing and data professionals, and regional and global network executives. As Internet2 marks 30 years of community-driven progress, this year’s gathering focuses on AI innovation, cybersecurity resilience, sustainable IT funding, and collaboration to shape the next decade of digital transformation.
Unlike traditional technology conferences, the Internet2 Community Exchange is a collaborative event created by and for the R&E community. The program features peer-led sessions and strategic forums designed to produce actionable strategies for institutions navigating complex technology, policy, and risk environments.
Registration is now open. Learn more about CommEX26 and explore the program.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Reporters interested in obtaining a press badge for Community Exchange should contact Amber Rasche at arasche@internet2.edu.
About Internet2
Internet2® is a nonprofit, member-driven advanced technology community founded by the nation’s leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 serves 336 U.S. universities, 58 government agencies, 46 regional and state education networks and through them supports more than 80,000 community anchor institutions, over 1,000 InCommon participants, 62 leading corporations working with our community, and 70 national research and education network operators that represent more than 100 countries.
Internet2 delivers a diverse portfolio of technology solutions that leverages, integrates, and amplifies the strengths of its members and helps support their educational, research, and community service missions. Internet2’s core infrastructure components include the nation’s largest and fastest research and education network that was built to deliver advanced, customized services that are accessed and secured by the community-developed trust and identity framework. For more information: https://internet2.edu
Media Contact:
Amber Rasche
Internet2 Communications
arasche@internet2.edu