Thanks to all who came together to celebrate rural with a focus on the Power of Place and the people who make it thrive at RDI’s 14th Regards to Rural conference. More than 350 people from Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, to Minnesota, Vermont, Washington, DC, and states in between, attended R2R 2026 for two days of connection, learning, and collective action, highlighting the spirit, stories, and partnerships that define the rural Pacific Northwest. 

We kicked off the conference with engaging and informative journeys to locations throughout Central Oregon on April 15 through mobile workshops and pre-sessions, along with the opportunity to connect with the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition, as their annual summits were held in coordination with R2R.

This year’s R2R featured keynote speaker Amanda Weinstein, Director of Research, Knowledge, & Evaluation at the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), spoke to the state of rural, with a focus on the picture for the rural West and insights into the intersection of research and rural community development. Breakout session topics included community leadership and engagement, economic vitality and wealth building, policy and influence, and access to resources, with presentations and interpretation in both English and Spanish. Sessions were geared toward providing practical tools for people to bring back and implement in their communities; attendees had opportunities to network and connect with one another, learn about the Rural Visibility Project, contribute their voices to the interactive Rural Action Labs, and enjoy a lively evening playing bingo, and people left feeling inspired to go back and make change in their rural places.

Regards to Rural is a unique event held biennially for community members and leaders throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond to discuss rural priorities, explore innovative economic models, obtain tools to make change in communities, and inspire action to help pave the way to rural vitality. Click here for the R2R 2026 agenda.