In just over one year, the National Applied AI Consortium (NAAIC) catalyzed from a nascent idea to the host of a sold-out national summit. The momentum it has built is not happenstance; it is the result of an urgent and singular mission: to build an AI-ready national workforce through community colleges. 

On Thursday, February 19, 2026, Miami Dade College (MDC) President Madeline Pumariega kicked off the two-day NAAIC AI Summit 2026 by addressing a standing-room-only crowd. When it comes to upskilling the national workforce to prosper in the era of AI, “it’s our nation’s community colleges that are answering the call every day,” President Pumariega said.

Dr. Sylvia Butterfield, the Directorate Head for STEM Education at the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), addressed the crowd via video. “The consortium has rapidly evolved into the nation’s premier network for applied AI education within the community college ecosystem,” Dr. Butterfield said. “NSF is committed to supporting and preparing the educators leading this technological revolution.”

The Summit brought together a cross-sector coalition, including leaders from the National Science Foundation, Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, IBM, Lenovo, OpenAI, and other partners, alongside community college presidents, faculty, administrators, and students from across the country. Throughout the Summit, they collaborated to build and reinforce NAAIC’s core purpose. Some highlights include:

• 500+ attendees
• 40+ expert panels and sessions
• 100 speakers
• Keynotes that challenged educators to lead confidently in the AI era
• Industry conversations focused on scaling the AI talent pipeline and aligning skills to workforce needs
• Hands-on faculty training designed to support certification and program growth
• Student perspectives and demonstrations that grounded the event in real-world outcomes
• The latest AI products from exhibitors Google, Lenovo, and EC-Council

Additionally, new partnerships and collaborations were announced to expand AI education opportunities through NAAIC: 

• Cisco announced a partnership with NAAIC to equip faculty with the tools to prepare the next generation of AI talent. Through Cisco Networking Academy, colleges will gain access to industry-recognized certifications, ready-to-teach curriculum, and professional training for educators.
• Amazon Web Services Skills to Jobs announced a case study that explores how their collaboration with NAAIC provides faculty with industry-aligned resources to prepare a diverse student body for high-demand tech careers.‍
• Google officially launched its New AI Professional Certificate, designed to help professionals master AI fluency through hands-on activities with tools like Gemini, NotebookLM, and Google AI Studio. To help faculty and colleges navigate this new credential, NAAIC and Grow with Google hosted a joint Info Session.

“Nations that are leading the way in AI are the ones where the faculty are most adaptable, where they are students,” said keynote speaker Michael Jabbour, AI Innovation Officer at Microsoft. During a panel discussion titled Scaling the AI Talent Pipeline, Greg Bianchi, Microsoft Elevate’s Director of Partnerships, distilled NAAIC’s mission with a simple question and answer: “Why community colleges? Because they are everywhere, they have students from all walks of life, they are embedded in their communities, and they are agile.”

That mindset was on full display over the Summit’s two days, where speakers and attendees consistently emphasized practical application over theory. From student demonstrations to local business use cases, each panel and demonstration coalesced around how AI is currently being applied across sectors, including in healthcare, logistics, business, and advanced manufacturing.

One panel, Best Practices for Launching an AI Program, led by MDC’s VP of Innovation and NAAIC founder, Antonio Delgado, offered fellow college administrators the opportunity to ask questions and hear from peers who are managing this constantly evolving landscape. One of the panelists, Monica Minchala, Director of Program Development at MDC, stated that her focus is to bring AI readiness to the entire college. “Are we meeting the needs of the community? Are students able to adapt to what’s happening? It always starts with the community and the students,” Minchala said.

There are few examples that better illustrate that point than Christian Vivas, a former MDC student. On a panel highlighting student success stories, Vivas said he found out about MDC’s AI classes through a friend—exemplifying the connections fostered at community colleges. Vivas also noted that extracurricular groups at MDC helped build a local community of early adopters and encouraged open dialogue. Because of this combination of the community surrounding the institution and the programs and courses made available, Vivas is now a Senior AI Creative Strategist at MNTN. 

With students and community at the center, the energy throughout the Summit was palpable from start to finish. Each panel, demonstration, and keynote reinforced that the NAAIC is providing a national framework for community colleges to launch and scale their own AI programs and shape the nation’s AI workforce. And it’s only the beginning. At the Summit, the NAAIC team announced that Maricopa Community Colleges will host the next NAAIC AI Summit on October 14-16, 2026, in Chandler, Arizona. 

At the NAAIC AI Summit 2026, the convergence of educators and industry leaders made clear that the debate is no longer whether AI will change the workforce, but how fast community colleges can be empowered to lead that change.

Call for Speakers:

Educators, industry experts, and workforce leaders are invited to help shape the conversation at the next NAAIC AI Summit in Arizona. If you are leading innovative work in applied AI education, workforce development, or industry collaborations, we encourage you to submit a proposal.

Submit a speaker proposal HERE