RURAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 8 AM - 3:30 PM
Muse-Norris Conference Center | NIACC Campus
Connect with business leaders, entrepreneurs, agricultural professionals, and community partners for a day of practical ideas, meaningful conversations, and fresh perspectives.
$29 Registration • Lunch Included
Presented in partnership with NIACC Business & Workforce Solutions, First Citizens Bank, and the NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.
Grow Your Business. Strengthen Your Team. Build Your Community.
The Rural Development Conference is designed to give you strategies and insights you can put to work right away. Choose from breakout sessions covering today's most relevant business and community topics, connect with others from across the region, and leave with new strategies to help your organization move forward.
Workshop Topics
Business Growth
Discover strategies to strengthen operations, pursue growth opportunities, and prepare your business for what's next.
Leadership & Teams
Gain ideas for leading through change, building stronger teams, and creating a workplace where employees can thrive.
AI & Innovation
Explore practical applications of AI that go beyond marketing to improve productivity, decision-making, customer experiences, and more.
Funding & Resources
Learn about financing, capital, and resources that can help businesses grow and move into their next stage.
Choose the Sessions That Matter to You
With multiple breakout sessions offered throughout the conference, you can build an experience around the topics most relevant to your business, team, or community.
Breakout Sessions Include:
AI for Business • Funding & Financing • Leadership • Team Development • Succession Planning • Employee Wellness • Agriculture • Tourism • Economic Development • Business Growth
Featured Keynote
Dima Ghawi
Speaker
Dima empowers others to lead with confidence, develop emotional intelligence in leadership, and reimagine what they’re truly capable of, connecting with her audience through inspiring, emotion-filled stories and deeply relatable messages drawn from her global leadership experience. She motivates individuals to thrive both personally and professionally by taking courageous, life-changing actions unburdened by fear. Dima empowers each person to break free from limitations and grow in leadership.
Your Day at a Glance
| TIME | EVENT |
| 8:00 AM | Check-In |
| 8:30 AM | Welcome |
| 8:40 AM | Employee Engagement & Wellness Panel |
| 9:20 AM | Breakout Session #1 |
| 10:30 AM | Breakout Session #2 |
| 11:30 AM | Lunch |
| 12:40 PM | Breakout Session #3 |
| 1:55 PM | Keynote with Dima Ghawi |
| 3:15 PM | Ice Cream Social |
Full breakout session schedule coming soon.
Who Should Attend?
If you're invested in the future of your business, workforce, or community, this conference is for you.
Business Owners & Leaders · Entrepreneurs · Managers & HR Professionals · Agricultural Professionals · Economic Development Professionals · Community Leaders
Whether you're looking for new ideas to grow your business, strengthen your team, navigate change, or make an impact in your community, you'll find something valuable to take back with you.
One Registration. A Full Day of Value.
All for just $29.
✓ Multiple professional development sessions
✓ Your choice of breakout topics
✓ Featured keynote from Dima Ghawi
✓ Opportunities to connect with regional business and community leaders
✓ Lunch included
✓ Closing ice cream social
Presented by
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9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Registration & Refreshments
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9:30 - 9:35 a.m.
Welcome
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9:35 - 10:35 a.m.
Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT)
John Derryberry & Angela Shapley
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10:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Connection as Treatment: Understanding Loneliness and the Potential Role of the Human-Animal Bond
Katy Schroeder, PhD, NCC, University of Iowa & Shea Jorgensen, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Prairie Ridge
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12:50 - 1:50 p.m.
Emerging Risks & Established Treatments In Opioid Use Disorder
Shea Jorgensen, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Prairie Ridge
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2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Training
Christine Riggert, BA, CPS -
3:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Person With Lived Experience
