2025 Conference Recap, Pt. Two: Session Highlights, Keynotes and More

Part One of our Conference Recap series touched on the many fantastic outcomes of Circles USA’s 2025 National Leadership Conference, which convened last October in beautiful Ogden, Utah at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center. 

Launched with an event in Pensacola, FL in 2013, our bi-annual gatherings strive to connect attendees with real-world strategies, deliver hands-on workshops, introduce inspiring keynotes, improve leadership skills, and foster community-driven solutions to end poverty.

This year’s conference, hosted by the city of Ogden and Ogden Weber Community Action Partnership (OWCAP), was organized around the theme Moving Beyond—and kicked off our 2026 theme, Pathways of Hope. It brought together representatives from 22 US states and 24 chapters; 35+ speakers; 24 breakout sessions; 6 affinity groups; and 110 registered participants (72 of whom were first-time attendees). The conference received high marks in feedback, with participants praising its “welcoming and embracing,” “informative,” and “inspiring” atmosphere and programming. In all, 94% agreed that the overall experience met or exceeded expectations. 

Executive Director Kamatara summed up the spirit of a conference that offered a little something for everyone: “Our breakout sessions and other offerings were designed with different roles, chapter experience and chapter settings in mind,” she explained. “Whether Circle Leader, Ally, staff, or volunteer; beginner, intermediate, or advanced experience; there was something to energize and equip all of our diverse participants to tackle poverty where they live.”

CHAPTER LEADERS, GUEST EXPERTS SHARE CAPTIVATING KEYNOTES

Circle Leaders Kick Off Conference With Style

At the 2023 conference in Orlando, FL, Circles established a new tradition: opening our time together with keynote talks by Circle Leaders, who have lived experiences of poverty and are closest to the issues we work together to solve. 

This year in Utah, four Circle Leaders shared memorable accounts of how their Circles experiences transformed their lives in visible and invisible ways, opening pathways to prosperity they had believed were out-of-reach.

Patty Herndon of Circles Davis County, UT kicked off our Circle Leader keynotes with powerful testimony about newfound hope and social capital: “I came [into Circles] with an open heart and open mind,” she said. “I wanted to succeed again…I want to help change the landscape of poverty.”

Arizona Streeval of Circles Weber County, UT shared her personal growth and recovery experiences: “I can advocate for myself now; I’m very tenacious. I found a sense of community. There are people who still care.”

Finally, married partners Raeanna and Jason Earl of Circles Campaign of the Mid-Ohio Valley, WV related their story of moving from generational poverty into the promise of higher education and foundations for a new career. “We’re in our second year of a criminal justice degree,” Jason testified. “And every Monday for two-and-a-half years, we’re at Circles. I don’t know where we’d be without it.”

Anti-Poverty Experts Illuminate Pathways to Healing Money Trauma, Building Community

Jomaris DeJesús, Executive Director of partner organization The Prosperity Agenda, highlighted how coaching and social capital were crucial in her journey toward prosperity.  Calling CUSA “a place where Hope is not hypothetical, but a practice we share,” Jomaris reminded attendees that “empowering conversations are free. Getting together with groups of people is free… [T]here are some things that no budget line can ever take away from us.”

“We name the shame to tame the shame,” offered Chantel Chapman, founder and CEO of the Trauma of Money Institute and author of bestselling book The Trauma of Money. Chantel’s presentation spoke to frameworks for healing both individual and collective trauma—supporting greater financial safety, resilience, and well-being. 

BOLD BREAKOUTS SHOWCASE CHAPTERS’ KNOW-HOW

The 2025 conference breakout sessions addressed a myriad of pressing issues for chapters throughout our network. Topics ranged from engaging elected officials for the Big View to building lucrative cross-sector community alliances, utilizing Appreciative Inquiry, and exploring Family-Centered Coaching. 

One breakout, “The Parkersburg Engagement Project,” led by Jason and Raeanna Earl, offered a cross-section of its year-long experiment (hosted by the Circles Campaign of the Mid-Ohio Valley) to cultivate civic engagement for bridging divides. 

Isabel Jones and Patty Hurtado of Circles of the Coastal Bend, TX discussed communication gaps as a barrier to social support in their presentation “Creating Belonging Through Language Access,” asking: “What if you had only a few minutes to fill out a form that would determine your child’s future care… but you didn’t speak the language?”

And Crystal Carlson, ED of Circles San Diego, recounted her experiences of walking alongside Ukrainian refugees and shared best practices for creating responsive, compassionate communities for all in her session “Building Bridges: Supporting Immigrants & Refugees in Circles.”

SPECIAL SESSIONS AND EVENTS

Between breakout sessions, a series of special workshops and speeches showcased key Circles USA partners, conference VIPs, and practitioners whose expertise touched on skill sets crucial to anti-poverty workers at every level.

Ogden’s Mayor Ben Nadolski, who has been a strong advocate for community development and local partnerships, kicked off our conference with a special welcome address.

Our specially-tailored Inquiry Track provided newer attendees with a day of programming designed to convey essential 101-level information about Circles.

A Cliff Effect Day, sponsored by OgdenCAN and Weber State University, offered three breakout sessions and a panel discussion: deep dives on issues surrounding the Cliff Effect, one of the major barriers that keeps working Americans in poverty.

Several optional “add-on” experiences rounded out the week. These included a local weekly chapter meeting and a film screening of Join or Die—a powerful documentary about the work of social scientist Robert Putnam and why social capital is vital to the wellbeing of ourselves, our communities, and American democracy—followed by a rich group discussion.

The Circles USA Board of Directors gathered to discuss nonprofit governance, the future of Circles, and how our network can come together to end poverty in our lifetime.

The 2025 Circles USA Network Awards, established in 2014 and now livestreamed nationwide, celebrated the many milestones and achievements of chapters, Circle Leaders, and other participants who embody the best of what Circles USA creates in communities. For more information on our 2025 Network Award winners, see this post.

BUILDING PATHWAYS OF HOPE: AN INVITATION

In her stirring address to the Circles network, Executive Director Kamatara extolled the importance of interdependence and mutual support. She evoked the ritual of barn raising as a metaphor for “a whole town coming together to help one family build what they need,” continuing:  

There’s no hierarchy — just neighbors shoulder to shoulder, each giving what they can. Some bring tools, some bring food, some bring laughter—all bring love. When the barn is complete, everyone stands back with that deep sense of satisfaction that comes from shared effort. The family is stronger, but so is the town. The relationships forged in that work become the fabric of belonging. That’s what Circles does every day—in living rooms, community centers, church basements, schools, and Zoom rooms across the nation. We are barn raisers building structures of support, hope, and opportunity together.

The next Circles USA leadership conference is slated for October of 2027. Think your community might be a great fit to host that conference? Got ideas for fresh topics and speakers to explore the next chapter for Circles USA? Let us know! Contact Administrative Coordinator Gena Atcher: gena@circlesusa.org.

Building Community to End Poverty in 25 States

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