NCRC will host the 2025 Just Economy Leadership Summit September 8-9 in Nashville, TN, bringing 150 top community advocacy leaders from across the country together for two days of intense, solutions-focused discussions.

"The movement for a Just Economy is founded on the simple idea that when we talk to each other and listen well, we discover new avenues to progress and community power," said Jesse Van Tol, President and CEO of NCRC. "As cuts and policy changes at the federal level force us to reimagine how community development work gets done, the changes to meet that challenge need to be led by the local leaders closest to that work. It's no accident that we will be having these conversations in the most rapidly gentrifying city in America. Nashville leaders are ready to change that narrative -- and NCRC is excited to both facilitate their collaboration and identify portable, actionable ideas that our members around the country can use to tackle their own challenges."

Attendees will be divided into small, facilitated groups to engage in candid conversations about the realities of advocacy work today and to collaborate on strategies to address the challenges our communities face. 

This is a space for reflection, resilience and forward thinking, driven by those who are leading the charge.

The main objectives of the 2025 Just Economy Leadership Summit include:

• Creating a Deep Connection: Breaking through isolation by building relationships with peers facing similar challenges and responsibilities.
• Strengthening Strategic Influence: Shaping a national economic mobility strategy grounded in local realities.
• Developing Actionable Insights: Exploring proven strategies and best practices at the state and local level that can be applied beyond the convening.
• Providing Long-Term Support: Join ongoing working groups to drive implementation and stay connected well after the event. 

NCRC will follow the leadership summit with a briefing webinar for NCRC member organizations on November 6. It will include a full overview of the key strategies and solutions generated in Nashville and how to put them into action in local communities all across the country. 

In early 2026, NCRC will develop member groups based off the priority themes established during the leadership summit. These groups will meet over the next 18 months to learn from each other, strengthen each other’s work and develop tools and resources that can be made available for all of the more than 700 NCRC member organizations. More information to come following the summit. 

For more information on the Just Economy Leadership Summit, visit: www.ncrc.org/nashville. 

For more information on the briefing webinar and to register, visit: https://ncrc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t4c3uDVdTGez5vON3ppoNw#/registration. 

For more information on becoming an NCRC member, visit: www.ncrc.org/join.

In solidarity,

Team NCRC