Rory McCorkle, VP of Business Development
December 4, 2025
It has been just over a week since returning from the I.C.E. Exchange in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Strasz team is still buzzing about the new connections made, the industry friends and colleagues met, and all that was learned during the conference. We certainly learned that umbrellas were a necessary — but unexpected — accessory for Phoenix, as the pouring rain made navigating from session to session more challenging than anticipated!
With that said, we walked away from the conference with several takeaways:
Power of People
Throughout the conference, we were reminded of the power of people. Sara Ross, the keynote speaker for this year’s conference, started us off in this vein, reminding us of the need for leaders to empathize with and empower their people. Her keynote, focused on emotional intelligence and resilience, was a great reminder that people stay with organizations due to the people and of our duty as leaders to support them in their career and personal journeys.
Our team was also impressed by the number of conference attendees, new or ‘newer’ to the profession. We loved seeing all the new faces and connecting with those new to their profession as they joined the conference to enhance their skills and network with others.
On a personal note, I was also reminded of the importance of all those who have helped in my own career. In addition to seeing past managers and mentors, it was a privilege to share my own career journey and those who made it possible during an Ignite session at the I.C.E. Awards Luncheon. Making the moment even more special was witnessing one of my first managers in the industry, Nancy Thomas Ahluwalia, receive the Mary Macomber Service Award shortly before my Ignite. Her impact on my skills in test development and psychometrics is substantial, and sharing the stage with her only reinforced the importance each of us has in mentoring others.
Industry Partnerships
AI has been the topic du jour at testing industry conferences over the last several years, but this year’s I.C.E. Exchange featured a number of sessions showing where AI has been piloted or applied to an organizational need, with discussions of what was learned and improved from this feedback. We loved seeing all of the partnerships between vendors and credentialing bodies in the space, who have used these partnerships to help the industry best learn and apply AI to their needs. As we shared in our sessions about our partnership to create our Automated Test Assembly (AiTA) platform, partnerships, pilots, and relying on the data from these pilots have been key to any AI-toolset evolution.
Pictured: Anna Rubin (Cisco), Susan Davis-Becker (ACS Ventures), and Rory McCorkle
Future of the Industry
Finally, front and center in the conference were presentations and discussions about the future of credentialing. From the Future of Credentialing Summit at the onset of the event to multiple sessions, the current changes in culture, education, technology, and the regulatory environment are affecting all of our programs. The conversations around the conference revolved extensively around how we are changing our credentials (or launching new ones), adjusting measurement approaches, and focusing on candidate experience to better address these needs. We look forward to more of these discussions and seeing how organizations respond – and hopefully share these experiences at future I.C.E. Exchange conferences.
As always, many thanks to our clients and industry partners for presenting with us and sharing experiences at the conference! We look forward to planning for next year’s I.C.E. Exchange on October 19 – 22, 2026, in Providence, RI!