Welcome Reception at Lazarus Brewing

1902 E 6th St, Austin, TX
With special guest Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
Music by Plan Sonidero

Registration Open

Breakfast Available

Doors Open

Welcome

Shafeka Hashash (ESP)

Introductory Remarks

Akilah Hughes (Podcast Host and Writer)

Panel: Communities in Crisis

A look at immigration, climate disasters, and rising costs — focusing on who is being left behind and how cash operates as a real-time response that community organizations and government turn to.

Carmen Pulido (Go! Austin/¡Vamos! Austin), Jose Quinonez (Mission Asset Fund), moderated by Jesus Gerena (UpTogether)

Introduction

Fireside Talk

Natalie Foster (ESP) with W. Kamau Bell (Stand-up Comedian, Director, and Producer)

Breakout Sessions

Growing Champions in New Sectors
How organizers are building support for cash in rural communities, from Black Appalachia to Wisconsin, by engaging farmers, families, and faith leaders and laying groundwork for future policy wins.

Phil O’Leary (WI Rural Prosperity Task Force), Joe Tolbert (Waymakers Collective), Travis Helmondollar (CASEWV), moderated by Monica Potts (The New Republic)

From People to Policy: Cash, Care, and Power
Two models, one practical question: what helps turn cash programs into permanent policy? Lessons from Central Texas and Cook County on building from local implementation to durable wins.

Alfredo Reyes, Jr, (Roots of Care), Paula Rojas (Embody Transformation and Roots of Care), Taylar Tramil (Center for Racial Justice), and Taniya Wilson (Union 4 Guaranteed Income)

Cash, Credits, and Messengers
A look at how tax credits and related policies can deliver cash support to families with young children, with a focus on proven wins, emerging openings, and strategies to expand support in early childhood.

Chrissy Blitz (ESP), Jessica Jackson (Families & Workers Fund), Lonia Muckle (CASH Campaign of Maryland)

Lunch

Introduction

Fireside Talk

Manuel Pastor (USC Equity Research Institute) with Lorella Praeli (Community Change)

Introduction

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo

Panel: Many Ways to Win

Highlights wins across tax credits, revenue-raising strategies, and administrative advances such as baby bonds, while addressing the fight to defend cash policies from growing bipartisan opposition.

Marcy Bowers (Poverty Action), Andrea Comer (State of Connecticut), Aidan Davis (ITEP), Ashleigh Hamilton (ECHO), Ivanna Neri (UpTogether), Nisha Patel (ESP Fellow)

Introduction to Breakout Sessions

Breakout Sessions

Wages, Work, & AI
This session explores the cash policies, narrative tools, and political organizing needed to put workers and families at the center of the AI transition.

Taylor Jo Isenberg, (ESP), Rayan Semery-Palumbo (ESP Fellow), and Anna Yelizarova (Windfall), moderated by Max Read (Journalist and Writer)

Cash and the Latino Wealth Gap: What the Research Shows
Explore the preliminary findings around the impact of direct cash transfers on the Latino community and how to build support for guaranteed income.

Thai V. Le (USC Equity Research Institute), Cynthia Moreno (USC Equity Research Institute), Rhonda Ortiz (USC Equity Research Institute)

Breakout Networking

Introduction

Taniquewa Brewster (Participant Advocate – UpTogether Equity Fund)

Fireside Talk

Aisha Nyandoro (Springboard to Opportunities), Brittany Packnett Cunningham (Activist, Political Analyst, Educator, & Host)

Introduction

Julia Mejia (Boston City Council)

Panel: Transitioning to the Future

A discussion of how AI is reshaping public policy, from cash to climate, and what this period of economic and social transition could mean for the next decade.

Shivum Bharill (PA Governor’s Office), Catherine Bracy (TechEquity), Marcela Diaz (SOMOS), moderated by Dorian Warren (Community Change)

Closing Performance

Andrea Daniela, aka “La Mariachi Loca”

Closing and Thank You