The work of leading a lab rarely slows down. You guide teams, interpret shifting priorities, manage risk, and keep operations moving while scientific and regulatory landscapes evolve around you.
The 2026 Lab Manager Leadership Summit, held April 20–22 in Phoenix, gives you space to step back from the daily pace and strengthen the skills that determine your lab’s long-term success. In three focused days, you will gain the strategic clarity, practical tools, and professional connections that help leaders navigate complexity with confidence.
Lab Manager Leadership Summit: Built on real leadership experience
What sets this year’s Summit apart is how grounded it is in real leadership experience. Throughout the program, you’ll hear from peers and experts who have navigated the same pressures—whether it’s implementing large-scale automation, stabilizing teams through change, or driving performance across complex operations. Keynotes from leaders like Curtiss McNair Jr. and Kelly Sullivan pull these themes into focus with practical examples of how modern lab leaders can adapt, communicate, and stay ahead of rapid scientific and workforce shifts.
Hands-on sessions that sharpen decision-making
Workshops, panels, and roundtables are designed to help you translate ideas into action. Rather than sit passively, you will work through real scenarios, compare approaches with other managers, and stress-test your own leadership habits. Sessions led by longtime lab manager and instructor Scott Hanton—including his optional Lab Manager Academy workshops—and his senior-leader Leadership Circle discussions give attendees the chance to practice skills such as guiding teams through change, hiring effectively, and planning capital investments that scale with science.
"Lab managers are faced with a wide range of decisions to help the lab and the people develop and thrive. Some of the most important decisions are around leading change and hiring new staff. These workshops will provide new and experienced lab managers with the knowledge to deliver these decisions with confidence," explains Hanton.
These conversations unfold alongside informal networking that often becomes just as valuable as the formal program. Many attendees find that hallway discussions, shared meals, and small-group breakouts give them a clearer understanding of how other labs approach staffing challenges, automation decisions, budgeting strains, or evolving compliance expectations. It’s rare to gather this many leaders who understand your pressure points and are willing to share what actually works.
Space to think beyond the day-to-day
The venue supports this mindset shift. With room to think more strategically—and fewer daily interruptions—you can evaluate what your lab needs next, where your team is struggling, and how to strengthen operations for the long term. Stepping away for a few days often reveals solutions that feel impossible to spot while you’re in the middle of daily demands.
The Lab Manager Leadership Summit is an investment in your leadership and your lab’s future. It offers the time, environment, and expert guidance needed to reset your perspective and return with renewed focus.
Invest in your leadership growth: Register today
If you plan to attend, act soon: the pre-early bird rate—the lowest price available—ends December 31, 2025. No better rate will be offered. Lock in your registration now to secure the best value for a program built to elevate the way lab leaders think, decide, and lead.
