2027 Rural Summit | Request for Speakers

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About the 2027 Rural Summit

The NC Rural Center is seeking proposals for breakout and mainstage session ideas for the 2027 Rural Summit, our signature annual gathering of rural leaders, community champions, policymakers, and partners from across North Carolina. The 2027 Rural Summit will be held March 24-25, 2027, at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel at Research Triangle Park (RTP).


Proposals are due by Friday, October 30, 2026. The summit planning committee will review all submissions and will be in touch with you by December 31, 2026, if your session is selected.

Our Legacy, Our Future

In 2027, the NC Rural Center celebrates the 40th anniversary of our founding-- 40 years of working together to build vibrant communities in North Carolina. This year's summit will honor the people, ideas, and communities that have shaped our history and continue to build places where all people can live and thrive.


Under the theme Our Legacy, Our Future, we will explore the strong impact of rural communities in North Carolina. Breakout sessions will be categorized around the four foundation pillars of the NC Rural Center: 

  • Leadership
  • Capital
  • Advocacy
  • Capacity Building

We seek proposals for sessions that highlight one of these four pillars.

What Makes a Strong Proposal?

We are seeking session ideas that showcase innovative work, practical solutions, compelling stories, and meaningful collaboration across rural North Carolina.


Proposals must:

  • Highlight innovative approaches or successful models that can be shared with other rural communities.
  • Connect to one or more of the NC Rural Center's four pillars. 
  • Bring together diverse perspectives / organizations and encourage meaningful conversations. 
  • Give attendees practical ideas, strategies, or tools they can take back to the communities they serve. 
  • Feature rural voices and people doing the work on the ground. 
  • Create opportunities for interaction, discussion, and shared learning rather than a traditional lecture or presentation. 
  • Take us through a local or regional change, project, or transition you were a part of and how it affected your community.
Your session idea does not need to be fully developed, but we do ask that you kindly connect with potential speakers on interest and availability prior to submission. The NC Rural Center summit planning committee will work with selected session leaders to refine the concept, format, and speaker lineup if needed.  

If you have a great story to tell that can help other rural communities, please apply below to present at the 2027 Rural Summit. Thank you for your interest.

Session Designer Information



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Notification of Acceptance
Session designers will be notified of the status of their proposals by Thursday, December 31, 2026. Please note: Submission of a proposal does not guarantee selection or placement in a particular format. The NC Rural Center may ask to combine proposals, request modifications, or work with session leaders to refine the concept, speakers, or format to best support the goals of the 2027 Rural Summit.

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