We're accepting session proposals for the 2026 Summit.
Share your expertise, showcase innovative projects, or highlight best practices in economic development.
Submit a Proposal HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2026summitproposals#main-content-526754449)__
Deadline: May 25, 2026
Questions: Amy Sealts, Content Chair — amy@putnamcountycic.com
Sessions span introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. Full session schedule will be published as speakers are confirmed.
LEARNING LABS: Learning Labs offer hands-on professional development through guided community tours in the Dayton region. Details and tour options will be announced as confirmed.
Lunch Kenote Speaker, October 7th - "Fit for Purpose: A Practitioner's Approach to Earning Community Trust"
Rebecca Darling is Director of Community Affairs and Partnerships at CoreWeave, one of the nation's leading AI infrastructure companies. She built the company's community affairs function from the ground up, overseeing stakeholder engagement, community benefit agreements, and social license strategy across a growing portfolio of data center projects. Before CoreWeave, Rebecca held senior external affairs roles at Newmont, Barrick, and Rio Tinto, worked with the IFC and The Asia Foundation on international development programming, and spent nearly a decade as a Visiting Scholar at Cornell University. She brings hard-won field experience, from global mining operations to emerging tech infrastructure, to the practice of turning opposition into ownership.
bold = regular conference programming, regular weight = optional/social events
*Note: schedule still open to change*
Dayton Convention Center — 22 E 5th St, Dayton, OH 45402
Day 3 | Thursday, October 8, 2026
Dayton Convention Center
Day 4 | Friday, October 9, 2026
Dayton Convention Center
Agracel • Bricker Graydon Wyatt • Bruns Construction Enterprises • Choice One Engineering • DDC • Exxcel Project Management • Findlay-Hancock ED • HDR • Huntington National Bank • I-70/75 Development Association • Lathrop Turner • Mannik Smith • Miller Valentine • Neighborhood Strategies • Norfolk Southern • Rudolph Libbe • Terracon • The Columbus Region
We are grateful to all our sponsors for their commitment and dedication to Ohio's economic development practitioners.
Interested in sponsorship? Contact Jason Kester — jkester@agracel.com
Dayton is one of Ohio's most dynamic economic development stories — and the perfect backdrop for this year's Summit. The brand-new Dayton Convention Center anchors a walkable downtown packed with restaurants, breweries, and entertainment within blocks of every conference hotel. From the historic Dayton Arcade to Carillon Park's world-class innovation exhibits, the city offers a firsthand look at what community-driven revitalization looks like in practice. Whether you're catching up with colleagues over dinner on the town or exploring between sessions, Dayton delivers.
For more information on Dayton, check out Destination Dayton: https://www.destinationdayton.org/
Book your hotel today! We have multiple room blocks at local hotels, the deadline for booking being: September 5 (*though we can't guarantee they won't sell out before then).
Hotel Ardent
Hilton Garden Inn
Fairfield Inn & Suites
Vitality Hotel
AC Marriott Downtown Dayton