Registration opens today for the 2023 California Economic Summit, taking place in Indian Wells on October 11-13. This year’s Summit is produced by California Forward (CA FWD) in partnership with members of its California Stewardship Network. It marks the 12th annual gathering of private, public and civic leaders from across the state’s diverse regions committed to building an inclusive and sustainable economy where all Californians can prosper.
“We are looking forward to bringing the California Economic Summit to the Coachella and Imperial Valleys,” said Ismael Herrera, CA FWD interim CEO. “This is a region rich with opportunity in industries important to our state and we are excited to showcase how these opportunities are helping develop an equitable economy that works for more of the region’s population.”
A standout feature of the Summit is that a different region within the state hosts the event each year, giving the host region the opportunity to make a distinct and important impact on attendees from across California. The Summit’s priorities each year are directly responsive and scaled to create solutions that meet the challenges of today.
“I think that highlighting different regions of California is really important and underscores that this is a huge and diverse state,” said Kate Gordon, former Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at the U.S. Department of Energy and the recipient of the 2022 California Steward Leader award winner. “The regions are amazing, unique places. They’re also very interconnected. I like that the Summit brings people to different regions, and allows those interconnections to happen through side conversations and engagement with the larger picture.”
The Summit always features an impressive list of speakers and this year will be no different. Confirmed speakers to date include California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Senator Steve Padilla, Assemblymember Greg Wallis, members of CA FWD’s Young Leaders Advisory Council and many more. Other local, regional, state and cross-sectoral leaders are confirming their attendance at the Summit every day.
CA FWD’s Summit is a unique event bringing together regional leaders from business, community, government, philanthropy and industry each year to develop a shared economic agenda balancing racial and geographic equity, environmental sustainability and economic growth. It is a powerful catalyst of action that has been instrumental in numerous statewide advancements, including the $600 million Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF), $6 billion in broadband budget funding and the California Dream For All homeownership program.
The discussions held and the work done during the plenary sessions will result in the CA FWD Roadmap to Shared Prosperity, which informs CA FWD’s priorities throughout the year.
Dr. Conrado Bárzaga, CEO of Desert Health District & Foundation, Silvia Paz, Executive Director of Alianza Coachella Valley, Heather Vaikona, President/CEO of Lift to Rise, Tim Kelley, President/CEO of Imperial Valley Economic Development Corp and Luis Olmedo, Executive Director of Comite Civico del Valle, serve as co-hosts of this year’s Summit.
Early bird registration is available until August 10. Click here to register for the 2023 California Economic Summit.
