This webinar will update STEM association leaders on the major federal policy and legal developments since the early months of the Trump administration and explain what they mean for research funding, DEI-related programming, immigration, tariffs, and tax-exempt organizations. The session will focus on the developments that are most likely to affect STEM associations’ operations, members, and advocacy agendas over the next year.

Learning objectives:

By the end of the webinar, participants should be able to:

• Identify the federal policy developments most likely to affect STEM associations in 2026, including changes in funding, immigration, and tax policy.
• Explain how current court decisions and administrative-law doctrines are shaping the implementation of executive actions.
• Assess the practical implications of these changes for association programs and member institutions.
• Prioritize near-term advocacy and communications steps to help their organizations respond effectively. 

Attendees will earn 1 CAE credit. CESSE is also a CMP preferred provider.

Registration is limited to CESSE Members. Not a member? Explore the benefits and join CESSE today!

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Meet Your Presenter

Megan Barbero, Partner, Venable, LLP

Megan Barbero chairs Venable's Administrative and Regulatory Litigation Group. A former general counsel of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a seasoned appellate litigator, Megan advises on regulatory, appellate, and enforcement matters. She has two decades of government and private sector experience counseling clients and litigating across a range of issues, including questions of constitutional and administrative law, securities law, and federal court jurisdiction. As the SEC's chief legal officer, Megan counseled SEC commissioners and agency leadership on rulemakings and enforcement cases. Megan's years of public service have uniquely informed her perspective as a leader in her field. At the helm of the SEC’s legal team, Megan successfully managed a 160-person office. She nimbly developed and executed the agency’s litigation strategy for numerous high-profile appeals and amicus briefs in private securities litigation. Megan served as a trusted advisor for the agency, supervising legal advice on all regulatory initiatives and enforcement actions, while developing risk mitigation strategies for program-wide challenges to enforcement proceedings. Megan also masterfully managed the SEC’s response to congressional oversight requests and internal investigations, even providing congressional testimony on oversight responses. Prior to joining the SEC, Megan served as deputy general counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives. In this role, she counseled House committees on a range of oversight and legislative topics and conducted strategic litigation for the House and its committees in the district courts, courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. Earlier in her career, Megan served as an attorney in the Appellate Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, where she represented the United States and its agencies as lead counsel in the federal courts of appeals in a diverse range of cases presenting questions of constitutional, statutory, and administrative law. Megan also has significant experience in the private sector. While working at a prominent international law firm, she represented clients in state and federal trial courts and drafted briefs in dozens of Supreme Court and appellate cases. Megan honed her skill set advising clients, managing teams of associates, developing winning litigation strategies, and guiding briefs from inception to a successful close.