Ringing in His Ears

AASA staff member Bryan Joffe was in the right place at the right moment long after most conference attendees had cleared out of the convention center in the late afternoon on Friday.

An attendee approached Joffe to see if he could help her locate a lost cell phone. Joffe suggested she call the phone. As they were standing next to the conference’s Information Kiosk, they heard the phone ringing. He tracked the sound to the lockbox containing lost and found items at the conference and alerted fellow staff, who got the lockbox open and reunited the phone to its relieved owner.

All in a day’s work.

Most Popular Book

You might be surprised to learn what was the best-selling book at this year’s AASA conference bookstore.

The top choice: The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America by education journalist Cara Fitzpatrick.

Bookstore manager Brandon Glotfelty attributes its sales in San Diego to the fact that the author delivered a speech at the sold-out Federal Relations Luncheon on the first day of the conference.

Hey, You All Look Alike

Was it just a coincidence that every AASA staff member turned up on the final day of the 2024 conference in San Diego wearing the same thing from the waist up?

Actually, it was a coordinated effort involving senior director of meetings and awards Jennifer Rooney and human resources director Julie Luetjen well ahead of the conference. AASA’s new executive director David Schuler asked them to purchase half-zip black fleece jackets bearing the AASA logo for the 40 or so AASA staff members and requested they get their first use on the conference’s final day.

(Compiled by Jay P. Goldman, editor-in-chief of Conference Daily Online.)