2026 NRWC Annual Conference
October 20-23, 2026 | New Orleans, LA
About the 2026 Conference
The NRWC Annual Conference is a space where the reentry workforce field comes together to connect across roles and regions, collaborate to achieve shared goals, and elevate practice to meet the demands of a changing labor market.
The 2026 theme – The Future of Work & the Justice-Impacted Job Seeker, reflects a pivotal moment for the reentry workforce field. Rapid shifts in technology, employer expectations, and economic conditions are reshaping how work is done and how workers are valued. For justice-impacted job seekers, these changes bring both heightened challenges and new opportunities.
This year’s conference is designed to help the field move from anxiety about the future of work to informed, proactive adaptation, ensuring justice-impacted job seekers are not left behind as the labor market evolves.
Through dynamic learning sessions, honest dialogue, and meaningful connection, participants will explore how preparing job seekers, opportunity industries, and the systems that shape progress are redefining workforce development and what reentry workforce leaders can do now to respond with clarity and confidence.
Whether you are a practitioner, employer, educator, policymaker, funder, or other system leader, you will leave with:
- Stronger connections across the reentry workforce ecosystem;
- Practical strategies grounded in real-world practice;
- Deeper insight into system-level changes and how to navigate them to access resources and opportunity; and
- Renewed perspective on how to adapt, innovate, and lead in the future of work.
Together, we will turn ideas into action, work across systems, and strengthen the reentry workforce field so justice-impacted job seekers can thrive in the future of work.
Registration
Registration is now open for the 2026 NRWC Annual Conference! Early bird pricing will be available through August 14th.
Conference Program
The 2026 Annual Conference preliminary agenda can be viewed here. The preliminary agenda is provided for planning purposes; additional information regarding sessions and speakers will be made available throughout the spring, and the full program will be available in June. Contact Virginia Smith with any questions about the conference program.
NRWC Conference Tracks
NRWC’s Annual Conference program includes both plenary and breakout sessions, with breakout sessions organized along tracks of inquiry that align with the interest of needs of the workforce reentry field as a whole, allowing attendees to intentionally select the content that is most relevant to the work they do. Conference tracks are reviewed and updated each year to ensure NRWC’s content is relevant and applicable.
Call for Proposals
The Call for Proposals is now closed for the 2026 NRWC Conference. Proposal submitted will be notified of their proposal’s status no later than April 20, 2026. Contact Virginia Smith with any questions about the call for proposals or conference program.
Become a Sponsor or Exhibitor
Showcase your work, connect with attendees and help shape reentry workforce conversations around the Future of Work. Contact Kimberly Crowe (kimberly@thenrwc.org) for more information.
Past Conferences
NRWC has experienced exponential growth since our inaugural conference in 2022, welcoming nearly 450 attendees and presenters from across the country and the field for the 2025 NRWC Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Click the links below to view past conference programs. For more information about specific sessions or speakers, please contact Virginia Smith.
2022 NRWC Annual Conference – October 18-21, 2022 | Bethesda, MD
2023 NRWC Annual Conference – October 24-27, 2023 | Philadelphia, PA
2024 NRWC Annual Conference – October 15-17, 2024 | Denver, CO
2025 NRWC Annual Conference – October 21-24, 2025 | Pittsburgh, PA
