Professional Development Days 2026

College students from across the Puget Sound region will compete in the first-ever College PM Bowl, a new student project management competition hosted by the Puget Sound PMI Chapter during Professional Development Days 2026 on Friday, Oct. 9, at Seattle University.

Teams from Seattle University, Northeastern University, Western Washington University, Saint Martin’s University, Green River College and North Seattle College will participate in the competition, which will present students with a project scenario and ask them to develop and present their approach to a panel of professional project managers. Up to 12 teams will compete in preliminary rounds Friday afternoon, with top teams advancing to a final round. The winning team will be announced at 5:15 p.m., followed by the presentation of trophies and certificates.

"The College PM Bowl gives students something a classroom cannot, which is the experience of standing in front of working project managers and defending a plan they built as a team," said Dr. Tricia Diamond, Vice President of Professional Development and Programs for the Puget Sound PMI Chapter. "Every infrastructure project, product launch and public program in our region depends on people who can turn ideas into results. We want the next generation of those leaders to know this professional community is ready to welcome them."

The College PM Bowl, led by Manisha Sharma, PMP, College PM Bowl Program Manager, is part of Professional Development Days 2026, the chapter’s annual two-day professional development conference, taking place Oct. 9-10 at Seattle University’s Pigott Building, Sinegal Building and Student Center. This year’s conference, themed “Be the Transformation,” will feature seven learning tracks, 43 breakout sessions, three keynote speakers, a Career Fair and evening receptions.

The three keynote speakers are Rebecca P. Murray, CVP, DTM, Founder & CEO, Showcase Your Shine, LLC, on Friday from 9-10 a.m.; followed by Jake Hammock, CISSP, CAISP, Fmr. Chief Information Security Officer and Assistant CTO, City of Seattle, from 9-10 a.m. Saturday; and Bill Dow, PMP, ITS PMO Director, University of Washington, 1-2 p.m. Saturday.

The City of Seattle has proclaimed October 9 and 10, 2026, as Professional Development Days in recognition of the conference, a designation secured by Dr. Tricia Diamond, Vice President of Professional Development.

The conference will also address the growing role of artificial intelligence in project management. The volume of accepted sessions on AI led the chapter to split its AI programming into two tracks: AI in Practice and AI Governance and Adoption.

The conference’s Career Fair will offer resume review, mentorship, employer connections and dedicated career services for military-connected attendees. Attendees can earn up to 16 professional development units (PDUs) through conference sessions, providing continuing education credits for PMI credential holders.