Registration is now open for the 2026 Wisconsin Economic Summit.
Summit Day 1 Agenda
Day 1 — Determination
Understand the moment – K-shaped economy
Day 1: Agenda
Wisconsin leaders are already doing the work.
Day 1 examines the uneven growth they are navigating and the determination required to lead through change without losing sight of opportunity.
10 a.m. – Opening Remarks
10:30 a.m. – The Fractured Landscape: Understanding America’s New Economic Reality
Opening keynote:
Who is moving ahead in today’s economy and who risks falling behind? As new technologies, shifting demographics, political, and economic disruption reshape the country, the answers are becoming more uneven and more consequential. George Packer examines the forces driving America’s increasingly K-shaped economy and what they mean for workers, businesses, communities, and institutions. Drawing on his work exploring the causes and consequences of growing divides, he offers a deeper understanding of the realities shaping America’s future and the choices leaders face in responding to them.
George Packer
11 a.m. – One Wisconsin, Different Realities: What a Changing Economy Means for Our Future
Featured conversation:
The national conversation comes home to Wisconsin. George Packer, Katherine Cramer and Sam Rikkers explore how the K-shaped economy looks and feels across Wisconsin, its places and communities, and most importantly for its people. From affordability and workforce pressures to economic mobility and community identity, the conversation asks how Wisconsin can remain economically strong while creating pathways for more people and places to participate and prosper.
Panelists: George Packer, Katherine Cramer, Sam Rikkers
11:45 a.m. – Breakout sessions
Choose one of the following
Session 1 – Closing the Gap: A Mayors’ Conversation on Opportunity and the K-Shaped Economy
What does a K-shaped economy look like from a mayor’s office? Milwaukee, Superior, Madison, and Dodgeville differ dramatically in size, geography, and economic context, but each leader faces the challenge of creating communities where more people can move forward. Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Mayor Jim Paine, and Mayor Barry Hottmann will discuss uneven growth in their communities—from housing, workforce and neighborhood investment to access to opportunity and quality of life—and the choices they are making to bring the two paths closer together.
Moderator: Emily McFarland
Panelists: Cavalier Johnson, Barry Hottmann, Jim Paine
Session 2 – Starting Out: Can the Next Generation Build a Future in Wisconsin?
For young Wisconsinites just beginning their careers and adult lives, the K-shaped economy is not an abstraction. It influences where they live, what work they pursue, whether they can afford housing, how they manage education or debt, and whether they believe they are moving forward or falling behind. This candid conversation gives young and early-career Wisconsinites the microphone to explore economic mobility, ambition, uncertainty, and whether Wisconsin offers a credible path to the lives they hope to build.
Youth and early-career voices
Panelists: TBD
Session 3 – Building Wisconsin’s Talent Pipeline: Education, Workforce and Economic Opportunity
When opportunity is expanding for some people while becoming harder to reach for others, what role should education play in bringing those paths closer together? Katherine Frank and Layla Merrifield reflect on what they are seeing in Wisconsin students today and examine how education and workforce systems can create clearer, faster and more accessible pathways into family-supporting careers. From the ambitions and concerns shaping students’ choices today to the systems designed to connect talent with opportunity, this conversation examines what Wisconsin’s educational leaders are doing now and next to expand economic mobility.
Moderator: Natalie Yahr
Panelists: Katherine Frank, Layla Merrifield
1:05 p.m. – Luncheon/host city conversation
Welcome to Eau Claire: Building a Community of Opportunity
Jeremy Gragert and Ed Martini welcome attendees to Eau Claire and share how community leadership, higher education, entrepreneurship, culture, and investment have helped shape the region’s growth. Their remarks offer a local perspective on how strong communities create opportunity and why place remains a powerful competitive advantage in today’s economy.
2:30 p.m. – Breakout sessions
Choose one of the following
Session 1 – Closing the Gap: A Mayors’ Conversation on Opportunity and the K-Shaped Economy
What does a K-shaped economy look like from a mayor’s office? Milwaukee, Superior, Madison, and Dodgeville differ dramatically in size, geography, and economic context, but each leader faces the challenge of creating communities where more people can move forward. Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Mayor Jim Paine, and Mayor Barry Hottmann will discuss uneven growth in their communities—from housing, workforce and neighborhood investment to access to opportunity and quality of life—and the choices they are making to bring the two paths closer together.
Moderator: Emily McFarland
Panelists: Cavalier Johnson, Barry Hottmann, Jim Paine
Session 2 – Starting Out: Can the Next Generation Build a Future in Wisconsin?
For young Wisconsinites just beginning their careers and adult lives, the K-shaped economy is not an abstraction. It influences where they live, what work they pursue, whether they can afford housing, how they manage education or debt, and whether they believe they are moving forward or falling behind. This candid conversation gives young and early-career Wisconsinites the microphone to explore economic mobility, ambition, uncertainty, and whether Wisconsin offers a credible path to the lives they hope to build.
Youth and early-career voices
Panelists: TBD
Session 3 – Building Wisconsin’s Talent Pipeline: Education, Workforce and Economic Opportunity
When opportunity is expanding for some people while becoming harder to reach for others, what role should education play in bringing those paths closer together? Katherine Frank and Layla Merrifield reflect on what they are seeing in Wisconsin students today and examine how education and workforce systems can create clearer, faster and more accessible pathways into family-supporting careers. From the ambitions and concerns shaping students’ choices today to the systems designed to connect talent with opportunity, this conversation examines what Wisconsin’s educational leaders are doing now and next to expand economic mobility.
Moderator: Natalie Yahr
Panelists: Katherine Frank, Layla Merrifield
3:50 p.m. – What We Heard — and What It Means
Featured synthesis:
No single issue determines who gets ahead and who gets left behind. Housing, workforce, education, mobility, and community vitality all shape opportunity, often in ways that are easy to miss when viewed separately. Drawing on insights from across the Summit, a panel of journalists, educators, and communicators connects these issues, uncovers the patterns shaping Wisconsin’s K-shaped economy, and highlights possibilities where leaders have the greatest opportunity to drive meaningful change.
Moderator: Hillary Mintz
Panelists: Natalie Yahr, Katherine Cramer
4:30 p.m. – Determined to Win: Turning Ambition into Achievement
Closing keynote:
Progress rarely starts with certainty. It starts when people commit to a goal they cannot yet see and keep moving despite obstacles, setbacks, and doubt. Drawing on lessons from elite competition and leadership, three-time Olympic medalist Kate Markgraf explores what it takes to unite people around a shared purpose, perform under pressure, and achieve outcomes that once seemed out of reach. Her message offers a powerful reminder that extraordinary outcomes begin when people dare to imagine something bigger and commit themselves to building it.
Kate Markgraf
