April 3-4, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina
(Onsite check-in is available on April 2, with special post-sessions on April 5)
Keynote Speakers
Eshauna Smith
Director, Community Impact – Ballmer Group
Alan Cohen
Founder and CEO, Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL)
Dreama Gentry
President and CEO, Partners for Rural Impact
Malcolm B. Butler
Professor and Dean, Cato College of Education, UNC Charlotte
One of the few national convenings to focus on rural America, the Rural Summit brings together teachers, principals, superintendents, higher education leaders, legislators, and nonprofit leaders to share ideas and strategies for ensuring that rural youth have the opportunity to enter school ready to learn and successfully transition from high school to college and career. Originally conceived as the Rural College Access and Success Summit, we have expanded our focus to include all points along the cradle-to-career path.
For the 2023 Summit, we have tapped the expertise of our presenting partners the University of North Carolina Charlotte’s urbanCORE (Community-Oriented Research and Engagement) and Save the Children to build an event that highlights the newest research on rural students and communities and presents current best practices in areas including early childhood development, family engagement, college access, and postsecondary and workforce. Additionally, there will be listening sessions and discussion of key topics in federal rural policy.
Since 2018, the Rural Summit has brought together leaders from rural communities to share ideas and strategies for ensuring our youth have the opportunity to successfully transition from high school to college and career.
