No New Budget, No Added IT Staff: AI Agents at St. Petersburg College
Date:Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET
St. Petersburg College (SPC) had a small IT team, an ERP migration underway, and a July 1 deadline before peak registration. To launch its AI initiative on time, the college needed funding but had no new budget to ask for. SPC found the money in an unexpected place and went live in about four months. Now its AI agents answer student questions when most offices are closed, with use peaking between 3 p.m. and 1 a.m.
In this fireside chat, Campus Technology Editor in Chief Rhea Kelly talks with Kellie Ziemak, Associate Vice President for Student Success Strategy at SPC, and Suzanne Azpeitia, Revenue Growth at Druid AI, about how the college pulled it off and what's next.
You'll hear:
- Where the funding came from
- How a 20-person committee looked past the razzle-dazzle to choose a solution
- Why SPC went with several focused agents instead of one chatbot
- How a small IT team got it done during an ERP migration
- What proactive student outreach looks like next
Register today!
About the presenters:
Dr. Kellie Ziemak, Associate Vice President for Student Success Strategy, St. Petersburg College
Dr. Kellie Ziemak is the Associate Vice President for Student Success Strategy at St. Petersburg College. She leads strategic initiatives focused on student success, enrollment growth, technology innovation, and organizational effectiveness. As a recognized higher education leader, she has significant experience implementing solutions to enhance the student experience and achieve institutional goals.
Suzanne Azpeitia, Revenue Growth at Druid AI
Suzanne Azpeitia is a customer experience automation and agentic AI leader with nearly a decade of experience helping organizations improve customer and employee interactions through intelligent automation. With a background in finance and strategic sales leadership, as well as an MBA in Finance, she brings a practical, business-focused perspective to AI adoption, connecting emerging technology with measurable operational and financial outcomes. Suzanne currently helps organizations identify and implement high-impact AI agent use cases at Druid.
About the moderator:
Rhea Kelly, Editor-in-Chief, Campus Technology
Date: 11/04/26
Time: 11:00 AM PT
