Joint Council of Extension Professionals Premier National Conferences

Join Extension Colleagues at One of the Premier National Conferences Hosted by the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP): the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference &/or the Extension Leadership Development (ELC) Conference 

2026 Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference- 2026
All Extension professionals are invited to attend the PILD conference April 20-22, 2026 in Bethesda, MD (DC). What is the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference? The PILD conference was designed to provide Extension professionals an opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. and learn more about why it is important to advocate for Extension and how to do it! Extension has been called the best-kept secret- but that’s not a good thing- we need our stakeholders and representatives at all levels to know about the critical work that we do. PILD not only offers opportunities to learn about how it all works and how to do it, but also a chance to join colleagues from your state to meet your representatives and senators. Past conferences have included presentations on “Raising Local Voices,” “Social Media’s Crucial Role as Liaison to Key Policymakers and Stakeholders,” “Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport,” and “Federal Funding Lines,” among other topics. Registration opens January 2026. Abstracts for presentations due: January 21st. Find the conference website here. Submit an abstract by January 21st here.   

The Extension Leadership Conference (ELC) 
ELC is the other annual conference hosted by the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) and will be held February 3-5, 2026 in Savannah, GA. Explore your leadership, learn how and why it matters, and what that means at every level. The conference includes workshops, plenary talks, panel sessions and more- focused on emerging issues, such as AI in Extension, or “ten leadership principles I learned from a coffee bean,” funding, etc.  Other conference-hosted Savannah Experiences, association meetings, door prizes and more make for an action-packed active conference.  ELC also includes an opportunity do join a pre-conference training on “Crucial Influence.” Early bird registration and reservations for the hotel room blocks end January 9th. Find registration and conference information here.  


About the Joint Council of Extension Professionals: JCEP is the umbrella organization for all Extension associations- including ANREP. JCEP’s mission is to elevate Extension’s national reputation as an organization of excellence and synergistically leverage the strengths of member associations, to foster leadership, collaboration, professional development, scholarly activities, strategic partnerships, and advocate for the profession. JCEP hosts two conferences annually, the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) conference and the Extension Leadership Council (ELC) conference.