Last week’s Opportunity Summit brought together business and community leaders from across the Cedar Valley to talk about the future of work and how culture, inclusion and engagement all connect to opportunity.

Our morning keynote, Kyle Ali, reminded us that creating opportunities starts with belonging for everyone. Our afternoon keynote, Nicole Turner, challenged us to see culture as a business advantage, not an afterthought.

Throughout the day, participants sat in breakout sessions that dug deeper into leading with purpose, aligning culture and strategy and rethinking DEIB through innovation. Each conversation felt real and relevant, with takeaways that people could actually apply in their organizations. We also had great moments from the local leadership panel featuring Shawna Matz (Chief People Officer of Veridian Credit Union), Jeremy Stolz (CEO of VGM Group), Erica Parks (President and CEO of CBE Companies) and Dr. Matthew Sojka (Chief Medical Officer of MercyOne). 

The Opportunity Summit is one of my favorite events of the year! It’s a reminder of what’s possible when we come together with purpose.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and to our sponsors for making it possible!

Premier Sponsors- Veridian Credit Union and Wartburg College

Premier Media Sponsor- KWWL

Gold Sponsor- Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa

Silver Sponsors- Hawkeye Community College, Tyson Foods and Waterloo Convention Center

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