Save the date: Saturday, July 25 is our can't-miss annual event.
Better yet --> REGISTER TODAY for this energizing, inspiring, and powerful day!
(Early bird registration ends July 2!)
Our convention is the one time of year where the CCI Action community (that's you!) gathers from across the state and across issue campaigns to connect, celebrate, learn, strategize, and reenergize for the work ahead -- including this year’s midterm elections.
Join us Saturday, July 25 to:
celebrate our incredible momentum for public schools and for protecting our water and health,
strategize how we keep building these campaigns and ensure elections are about us, our people and our issue solutions,
hear from inspiring speakers (key note and workshop speakers below),
attend workshops to deepen our knowledge and build our skills, and
be in community! Re-connect and meet new people who care about the same issues as you.
This year's theme is BUILDING THE IOWA WE NEED.
The election is critically important. And our eye is on the prize of the long-term, transformative changes we need.
It's been hard to watch as lawmakers have spent the last decade tearing down years of hard-fought progress one brick at a time. And in this we have real opportunity to re-envision and rebuild a much better Iowa and country.
But we have to grab and build power for us and our communities, and we want to do it together.
Keynote Speaker: Ash-lee Woodard Henderson!
Ash-lee’s bio, Instagram and Medium page — Until very recently, Ash-Lee served Co-Executive Director of the Highlander Research & Education Center, the pivotal social justice training ground for major American social movements, most notably the Labor Movement and the Civil Rights Movement.
And, you might recognize her as leading the Working Families Party's mass-call series since the 2024 election. She has also hosted mass calls for No Kings Coalition, and May Day Strong. Her gracious, grounded, and clear-sighted direction has guided literally of people to rise in this political moment.
Right now, Ash-lee is considered one of the best strategists in the country at the intersection of community organizing and elections. Given the focus of our work this year - we thought she'd be the perfect person to talk with us!
Most important, Ash-lee's work invites us to remember that a different world isn’t only possible — it’s something we can design, build, and live together.
Info-packed workshops with excellent guest speakers:
PUBLIC SCHOOL STRONG Workshop Guest Speaker: Cassie Crewsell
We've lined up Cassie Creswell, director of Illinois Families for Public Schools, to lead a workshop at our Saturday, July 25 convention: Building the Iowa WE Need. Cassie helped lead a grassroots coalition that ran a successful statewide campaign to roll back vouchers in Illinois. Yes, you read that right - everyday folks rolled back vouchers in Illinois.
More on Cassie: She founded Illinois Families for Public Schools in 2016, and has advocated on public ed issues in Illinois since 2010, including funding, privatization, standardized testing, recess, data privacy and governance. She is the parent of a Chicago Public School student.
More on the workshop:
Hear from Cassie on how Illinois Families for Public Schools pushed for public school funding at the local, state, and federal levels, and hear what their biggest barriers have been (hint: it's not the GOP).
With the election in mind, we'll learn how to talk about these issues with our neighbors, elected officials, and candidates.
AND, if you don't have one yet, you can leave with one of our Public School Strong yard signs.
OUR WATER & HEALTH Workshop Guest Speaker: Kerri Johanssen
We can live with just about anything, but we can’t live without water. Despite attempts from some state leaders to hide Iowa’s water crisis – this election year, protecting our water and our health is on the ballot!
More on Kerri: Kerri is the top policy director at the Iowa Environmental Council. If you attended any of the Cancer Listening Sessions across the state in 2025, you likely met Kerri. After hearing from Iowans, she helped author the "Environmental Risk Factors and Iowa's Cancer Crisis" report that made statewide headlines in March. She has two decades of experience in energy and environmental policy (and she was an Iowa CCI intern in the mid-2000s!).
More on the workshop:
Hear from Kerri about two key election-related issues: how the University of Iowa’s state-of-the-art water monitoring system (the Iowa Water Quality Information System) AND the failed voluntary nutrient reduction strategy are impacting our health and our environment.
Learn how we can use this election year to build momentum for short- and long-term solutions to Iowa’s water crisis, and steps to help us show up strong in the 2027 legislative session.
Leave with more connections to fellow Iowans, tools to talk about these important issues, and concrete ways to plug in.
HANDS OFF OUR VOTE Workshop Guest Speaker: Maxwell Love
To help us get informed and organized to say "Hands off our Vote!," we've invited seasoned organizer Maxwell Love, project director for Hold the Line, to lead a workshop at our convention.
Hold the Line equips people across the country with evidence-based, nonpartisan frameworks to help them understand threats to democratic institution,; organize effective collective action, and defend free, fair, and safe elections.
The workshop will be:
Part training: Maxwell will guide us through an election defense training, possible scenarios, and how we can gear up to fight back against misinformation.
Part strategy: We'll talk through the roles we can play to make sure all eligible voters are able to participate in this November’s elections.
You'll leave with more connections to fellow Iowans, tools to talk about these important issues, and concrete ways to plug in.
And more!
Hear from fellow CCIers with wins and updates on our issue campaigns:
No CO2 Pipelines (& water)
No Data Centers (& water)
Community Pulse Project
Funding Public Schools
Elections
Join us!
In this moment we have real opportunity to re-envision and rebuild a much better Iowa and country. But we have to grab and build power for us and our communities, and we want to do it together.
Together, we'll talk about how we can use this election year to build momentum for short- and long-term solutions. You'll leave with more connections to fellow Iowans, tools to talk about our issues, and concrete ways to plug in.
And, a favorite part: a CCI Action convention has a spirit, an energy, and a community of people that can't be beat. We'd love to have you there!
Whether you're a longtime CCI Action member, newly engaged in our work, or looking for a boost of inspiration in this moment - this event is for you!
KEY DETAILS
CCI Action Summer Convention
Saturday, July 25, 2026 9:00AM - 3:30PM
Grandview University, Henning Student Center
Des Moines, Iowa
Registration (link):
Early Bird registration: $25/person
After July 2: $35/person
We know it's an increasingly expensive world. We have scholarships and childcare stipends available. Email cciaction@cciaction.org for more information or use our contact us form.
Lodging options - book yourself:
Holiday Inn Downtown Mercy Campus
Link to book
Room rate is $133/night plus 12% tax.
The block of rooms is under the name CCI.Grandview Housing (location of event)
Link to book: Short Term Summer Housing at Grand View
Room rate is $30 or $40/night per person for a bare dorm room. $25 linen package for pillows, sheets, towels.