Austin Ferguson, CAFES academic advisor, and Carly Head, Mustang Success Center assistant director, received the Best in Region award at the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Region 8/9 Conference held March 17–19, in Anchorage, Alaska, for their presentation, “Enhancing Academic Advising Practices with AI: Strategies for a Balanced Workload.” Their session highlighted how AI tools like ChatGPT can streamline advising by automating routine tasks, identifying students with risk factors and providing personalized student support. Emphasizing ethical, student-centered use, they demonstrated how AI can reduce advisor burnout while preserving human connection, offering attendees actionable strategies to responsibly integrate AI into their advising practices.