Attend the Cultivating Change Summit
Join us in Minneapolis, MN, October 4-6, 2026!
The purpose of the Cultivating Change Summit is to bring together LGBTQ+ individuals connected to agriculture, natural resources, and food systems, along with employees, human resources and diversity and inclusion professionals, employee resource group leaders, executives, organizational leaders, allies, and others who are working toward creating an equitable industry environment for LGBTQ+ people.
Registering a group? Companies and organizations that wish to register 5 or more people should contact Tandy Kidd at Cultivating Change for a group discount.
2026 Summit Hotel Block
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403
The discounted group rate is available until September 28, 2026.
Post Summit Tours & Pre-Conference Workshops
Following the conclusion of the 2026 Cultivating Change Summit, attendees can extend their Minneapolis experience with an optional tour beginning Tuesday, October 6, at 1:30 p.m.
Transportation to and from each tour destination will be provided.
Tour Option 1: University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Explore this 1,200-acre public garden in Chaska, Minnesota. Founded in 1958, the Arboretum features display gardens, tree collections, natural areas, paved routes and scenic trails. Attendees will experience diverse plant species and sustainable landscapes while enjoying an afternoon centered on learning, reflection and meaningful connection.
Pre-Conference Collegiate Workshop
Personal Branding Experience Workshop: College students and advisors are invited to begin their Summit experience with an interactive workshop on Sunday, October 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Participants will strengthen how they communicate their experience, values and professional story. The workshop will help attendees identify what makes their perspective unique and develop an authentic personal brand that supports greater confidence, visibility and connection throughout their careers.
This workshop is only open to college students and advisors.
Speakers
Keynote: Kiah Twisselman Burchett
Kiah Twisselman Burchett—known as Coach Kiah—is a multigenerational California rancher turned Kentucky-based international motivational speaker who helps people reconnect with their roots and rise into their own legacy.
Raised on her family’s cattle ranch in California and now living on a small farm in Louisville, Kentucky, Kiah’s life reflects the heart of her message: that we can honor where we come from while courageously choosing how we move forward.
Her story has been featured on Good Morning America, The Kelly Clarkson Show, People Magazine, and Women’s Health, and she’s been named Cowgirl Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30, the 2020 Beef Advocate of the Year, and a keynote speaker at the 2025 National FFA Convention.
With authentic vulnerability, humor, and contagious energy, Kiah invites you to celebrate your roots, release what no longer serves you, and step into the legacy only you can live.
Enrichment Facilitator | Trey Elizondo, Cargill
Trey Elizondo serves as Senior Manager of Global Policy & Strategy at Cargill, where he helps lead strategic advocacy and policy efforts worldwide. With a background in legislative work and a lifelong passion for agriculture, Trey is known for bridging grassroots experience with global impact. A former FFA National Officer and Texas A&M alum, he now lives in Washington, D.C. with his partner and their two dogs.
MC | Jenna Wicks, Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation
Jenna Wicks serves as the Director of Strategic Programs and Education for the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation. In this role, she develops and delivers programs that prepare leaders to navigate the complex and evolving landscape of agriculture in Illinois and beyond.
Although Jenna did not grow up on a farm, she was raised in a rural community where agriculture was central to everyday life. Her journey into the industry began when she joined the National FFA Organization as a teenager. Through FFA, Jenna discovered agricultural education and leadership, sparking a passion that has continued to shape her life and career.
Powertalks
Kelly Jackson
People, Places, Spaces and Things.
Kelly is a Black-Indigenous Queer Woman whose citizenship of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina sits at the center of her life and experiences. Born, raised, and still residing in North Carolina, a "Hey y'all!" layered with the Lumbee dialect remains her greeting of choice.
At the intersection of culture and place-based community, Kelly has never been far removed from agriculture. Her homelands have long contributed to the agricultural significance of rural North Carolina, and she descends from a matriarchal lineage that worked in tobacco and poultry production for generations. Today, her family continues to raise poultry and cultivate a variety of beans, squash, and greens, sustaining a tradition where love and labor come together each week at Sunday dinner, hosted by her maternal grandmother for more than 40 years.
Full Bio Available In Summit Program
Aminata Diagana
Finding Yourself In The Crowd
Aminata Diagana is a fourth year Animal Sciences student at Purdue University, double majoring in French Language and Culture. Outside of her studies, she serves as the Past Undergraduate Student President for the National Society of MANRRS, an organization focused on professional development for individuals from grade school to graduate school.
Through this involvement, she has been able to engage with various industry partners and organizations including Cultivating Change. In the future, she plans to continue her involvement with the organization and attend veterinary school to become a large animal practitioner.
Megan Rock
Leaders Navigating Change
Megan Rock is a former Chief Sustainability Officer and corporate executive with more than 20 years of experience spanning agriculture, sustainability, strategy, and organizational transformation. She previously served as the first Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President of Sustainability at CHS Inc. and the first Vice President of Sustainability for Bunge North America.
Throughout her career, Megan has advised executives and boards on emerging business risks and opportunities and led work across regenerative agriculture, climate and carbon, human rights, responsible sourcing, traceability, and sustainability strategy.
Megan holds a B.S. in Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Science from the University of Missouri, a graduate certificate in Sustainability Policy Management from the University of Denver, and an Executive Coaching Leadership certificate from Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education.
Full Bio Available In Summit Program
Jared Walter
Try That in a Small Town: LGBTQ+ History, Rural America, and Human Flourishing
Jared Walter grew up on a family farm of corn and soy field crops in rural central Illinois. Attending the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana, he has lived and worked in central Iowa for the last 20 years with both Monsanto and now most recently Syngenta seeds. His current position is in direct procurement for seed packaging and labeling for the NK and Golden Harvest seed brands in Ames Iowa.
Fireside Chats
Fireside Chats
Belonging As Wellness
October 5, 9-10 AM
This fireside chat explores how belonging functions as a core component of wellbeing for LGBTQ+ people in agricultural communities. Through personal stories and practical strategies, panelists will discuss the emotional, social, and professional impacts of inclusion.
Public Policy Panel
October 5, 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
In this fireside chat, attendees will gain insights on current public policies shaping agriculture, food systems, and natural resources. Panelists will cover key policy developments, regulatory trends, and funding opportunities; discuss implications for producers, processors, and rural communities; and highlight pathways for local action and advocacy.
Community Building in Conservative or Rural Spaces or Faith Spaces
October 5, 2:45 - 3:45 PM
This fireside chat offers ideas and strategies for building LGBTQ+ support in conservative, rural, and faith-based agricultural communities. You will hear brief personal stories and practical tactics focused on safety, cultural humility, and reducing isolation.
Moderated by: Rob Synder
Workshops & Panels
These leaders and partners join together to share strategies and best practices to create a community inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions within the food, fiber, and natural resources industry through workshops, expert panels, networking mixers, and keynotes from prominent agriculture LGBTQ+ and ally industry leaders
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Farmers and Ranchers
Human Resources
Executives
Employee Resource Groups
Organizations and Societies
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Cooperative Extension Agents
State and Regional Agricultural Education professionals
Leaders in educational organizations and societies
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College of Agricultural and Life Sciences undergraduate and graduate students
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Food and Ag leaders who are allies of the LGBTQ+ community
Friends and family of LGBTQ+ people in food and agriculture
Unique and elevated professional development opportunities
Network with a purpose and expand your human capital
Collaborate and share best practices for solving problems facing the industry
Activate with tools and resources to take back and implement in your community
5 Reasons to Attend Summit – Explore the top reasons professionals from across food and agriculture attend the Cultivating Change Summit each year. Read now under our resources page!
Summit Employer Justification & Professional Development Request Guide – Download a customizable one-pager below to help communicate the value of attending Summit to your employer and request financial support.
Thank You To Our
2026 Partners
