We were thrilled to gather together this year with 300 community members from across the region to celebrate rural at our 12th R2R featuring two days of incredible speakers hosting impactful sessions with powerful and inspiring presentations and discussions focused on equity in rural public policy, rural economic development, and diverse rural leadership.
Thanks to all our speakers for leading informative sessions! Extra special thanks to Benjamin Winchester for delivering our keynote, to Marcus Luke for the moving opening invocation, and to Justin Maxson, Deputy Under Secretary for USDA Rural Development, for joining us to outline the more effective, efficient, and accessible vision of USDA RD. Our deepest thanks to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation who hosted us and to the many members who participated in our conference in a variety of ways.
In addition to these two days of programming, we were delighted to partner with individuals and organizations in the area to offer several engaging and interactive activities that offered attendees the opportunity to learn more about the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Pendleton area, and the opportunity to network and build relationships with one another.
Regards to Rural is a unique event 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. This page provides a recap of R2R 2022, with a summary, quotes and photos from the event. Click here to view the full agenda.