Leadership Forum brings executives, ERG leaders, HR and legal professionals, and changemakers from global organizations together for two days of strategic learning designed to help your inclusion and belonging systems hold up under real-world pressure.
Leaders who navigate this era well are building sustainable systems, sharper judgment, and stronger professional networks now, ahead of the moment they need them. For more than 15 years, Leadership Forum has helped leaders do exactly that. Through immersive tracks, candid conversation, and high-impact keynotes, more than 300 seasoned and emerging leaders leave with tools that connect inclusion to retention, collaboration, innovation, and team resilience.
The Experience
Keynotes from leading voices in policy, business, and workplace culture.
Breakout sessions on global strategy, allyship, ERG growth, and more.
Real-time insight into how belonging drives retention, resilience, and reputation.
Candid exchanges that spark new thinking and year-round collaboration.
Powerful stories, honest conversations, and a strong reminder that meaningful change happens when we lead with courage and intention. I’m walking away renewed in my commitment to champion diversity, foster belonging, and help move the needle where it matters most.
Leadership Forum pushes us outside our comfort zones through highly interactive sessions, honest dialogue, and the exchange of ideas and practices that continue to raise the bar for inclusive leadership. I left re-energized, re-grounded, and reminded that this work is both collective and continuous.
Amazing mix of content for Business Resource Groups (BRGs) of all levels and experience. These were also the most powerful keynote speakers I have seen at an event to date. Thank you for a wonderful experience.
Being in a space grounded in belonging, courage, and collective leadership felt like exactly what I didn’t realize I needed. The conversations were honest. The learning was practical. And the sense of community where leaders show up every day committed to creating inclusive workplaces where people can truly thrive, was powerful and palpable.
Three days immersed with powerful belonging leaders and influential voices at the Out & Equal Leadership Forum, and I’m walking away better for it…This work is human. This work is strategic. And spaces like this remind me why it matters.
Who Should Attend
Leadership Forum is built for the people shaping workplace culture from every seat at the table.
EXECUTIVES & SENIOR LEADERS
Lead culture as a business asset
Frameworks and language to make the case for inclusion with credibility that holds up under scrutiny.
HR & LEGAL LEADERS
Build approaches that hold up
Practical, defensible inclusion strategies grounded in current conditions rather than outdated playbooks.
ERG LEADERS
Keep momentum and bring leadership with you
Tools, connection, and organizational language to sustain your impact and earn executive support.
GLOBAL LEADERS
Stay consistent across markets
Strategies for navigating complexity across regions while keeping your workplace culture credible and coherent.
Learning & Community with Lasting Results
Leadership Forum is designed for application. You’ll work through real challenges alongside fellow attendees and leave with:
Clear Frameworks for Embedding Inclusion Into Business Strategy
Actionable insights and decision-making frameworks you can apply immediately to strengthen inclusion, enhance team culture, and drive results within your organization.
Strategies That Improve Retention & Talent Development
Evidence-based tools for building cultures where people stay, grow, and contribute at their highest levels, reducing turnover costs and strengthening long-term talent pipelines.
Insights That Strengthen Organizational Agility and Resilience
Practical guidance for navigating shifting policy and legal landscapes, so your organization can respond to complexity with clarity and stability.
Collective Learning That Unlocks Innovation
A shared understanding of how diverse viewpoints strengthen innovation, problem-solving, and creative thinking, leading to stronger business outcomes.
The Venue
MGM National Harbor | Washington, D.C.
Leadership Forum takes place entirely at MGM National Harbor, just outside Washington, D.C. With keynotes, breakout tracks, networking, and evening programming under one roof, you can stay focused on the conversations that matter.
Plan your trip Arrive: March 15 Program: March 16–17 Depart: March 18.
Room block details coming soon.
2026 Leadership Forum Impact Report
For more information about the lasting impact of Leadership Forum, download the 2026 Leadership Forum Impact Report.
Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
We are proud to welcome Kenji Yoshino as a keynote speaker at this year’s Leadership Forum. A leading constitutional law scholar and longtime partner to Out & Equal, Kenji brings a critical legal lens to today’s workplace inclusion challenges.
Building on his 2025 Workplace Summit session, he will apply the framework fromHow Equality Winsto the current environment, helping leaders exploring cutting-edge changes and challenges while centering the legal and reputational risks of withdrawing from inclusion efforts.
2026 Learning Cohort Tracks
Supercharging ERG Impact: The New Playbook
For decades, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have shaped critical shifts in workplaces, driving inclusive policies, building communities of belonging, educating employees, and informing business decisions. Today, however, the broader landscape of inclusion work is shifting, leaving many ERG leaders seeking stability, renewed direction, and strategies that keep their groups responsive and relevant.
This track guides attendees through a focused learning journey that begins with identifying their most urgent challenges. From there, you will build the skills to design responsive programming, strengthen leadership continuity, and elevate collaboration with Executive Champions. The experience culminates in a hands-on Program Design Derby, where you will apply your learning, test new ideas, and develop templates you can take back to your organizations to accelerate and sustain ERG impact.
Evolving the Practice & Power of Allyship
Allyship has deep roots in LGBTQ+ history, shaped by people both within and outside the community who used their influence to drive progress and bring others into the work of belonging. Yet in today’s climate, allyship is being tested. Its potential remains powerful, but recent backlash in the U.S. and globally shows where traditional approaches have fallen short.
In this track, attendees will take an honest look at the current state of allyship to understand where it succeeds and where new opportunities exist. You’ll build the skills needed to evolve your allyship practice, including staying grounded in moments of conflict, shaping and using your origin story as a tool for cultural influence, and cultivating meaningful ally networks across teams and communities. You’ll leave with a clear, actionable roadmap for strengthening allyship within your organization and advancing the work of belonging in a more connected, sustainable way.
Soft Skills, Huge Impact: Meeting the Moment with Responsiveness & Resilience
The idea of self-care has been around for a long time, but its importance came sharply into focus during the COVID pandemic as many searched for ways to stay grounded in a time of fear and uncertainty. Even with its widespread use, the true meaning of self-care — especially in the workplace — often remains unclear.
In this track, attendees will have the space to define what self-care looks like for you as a leader and to explore practical strategies that strengthen your resilience. You’ll begin by clarifying your intentions for personal and professional growth, then participate in learning experiences that build the skills needed to thrive in challenging moments. This track equips you with tools to support both your own well-being and the environments you create for others.
Building Strategy at the Intersection of Public Policy and the Workplace
This past year threatened seismic shifts in government approach to inclusion initiatives in the workplace. Headlines blared that longstanding business practices were now illegal, but reality reveals a much more complex picture. Executive orders signed in 2025 will continue to unfold across 2026 as agencies ramp up the implementation process and yet continued litigation may halt enforcement. Advocates face new challenges that demand nimbleness.
In this track, learners will examine and analyze this moment for workplace advocacy and focus on developing clarity around new developments, building specific skills that will prepare leaders for the fluctuating work ahead, and provide insights and perspectives to create a path forward that protects the progress that has been made and effectively responds to the challenges being issued.
How to Select a Track
Each Leadership Forum track offers a distinct learning experience, so we encourage you to select the one that best aligns with your current role, goals, and the challenges you’re working to solve inside your organization. If you have attended Leadership Forum before, consider choosing a different track this year to broaden your skill set and engage with new content.
If you’re attending with colleagues, we recommend splitting your team across multiple tracks to maximize learning and bring a wider range of insights back to your organization. Each track offers tools and perspectives that complement one another, ensuring your team returns with a well-rounded, actionable roadmap for advancing inclusion and business impact.
New in 2026
Creation Lab: Building the Next Model of ERG Impact
New for 2026, the Creation Lab is a hands-on, co-creative experience designed for leaders shaping the future of ERGs. As expectations evolve and workplace realities shift, ERGs are being asked to deliver deeper impact with greater clarity and alignment.
Open to all Leadership Forum attendees, this session brings together ERG leaders, executive champions, and HR and workplace inclusion leaders to surface what’s happening on the ground and co-design practical, sustainable strategies for stronger ERG ecosystems.
Led by Out & Equal senior leadership and informed by real-time insights from our global Partner network, the Creation Lab moves beyond discussion to deliver actionable ideas, shared learning, and momentum that leaders can take back to their organizations immediately.
Leadership Forum Registration Includes:
✔️ Two full days of programming ✔️ Welcome Reception on Monday evening ✔️ Breakfast and lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday ✔️ Dedicated networking opportunities with senior leaders & subject-matter experts ✔️ Momentum Reception on the final night
Register before Monday, February 23 to secure discounted hotel room rates.
Out & Equal Partner Primary Contacts, please access your allocations and additional registrations at the Partner rate of $2,299 through the Event Portal. Please get in touch with your Partner Success Manager for login instructions.
2026 Schedule at a Glance
Monday, March 23
23
Mar
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Opening Reception
Tuesday, March 24
24
MAR
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Networking Breakfast
24
MAR
9:00 – 2:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Programming
24
MAR
4:30 – 5:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Networking
Wednesday, March 25
25
MAR
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Networking Breakfast
25
MAR
9:00 – 2:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Programming
25
MAR
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Creation Lab
25
MAR
6:30 – 9:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Momentum Reception
Are You Ready to Lead What’s Next?
Secure your spot at Leadership Forum and join inclusion leaders advancing workplace belonging and inclusion.
Register before Monday, February 23 to secure discounted hotel room rates.
Out & Equal Partner Primary Contacts, please access your allocations and additional registrations at the Partner rate of $2,299 through the Event Portal. Please get in touch with your Partner Success Manager for login instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make the case to my manager to attend Leadership Forum?
Out & Equal’s Leadership Forum is designed to deliver immediate, practical value for leaders and organizations, including tools and approaches that strengthen retention, reduce organizational risk, improve team performance, and support measurable inclusion and belonging outcomes.
To help you request approval, download our Leadership Forum Business Case Memo, which includes key highlights, organizational benefits, program details, and what’s included with registration.
What is the registration deadline?
Registration will remain open through March 16; however, we encourage you to register by February 23 to secure discounted room rates.
How can I confirm my registration?
Once you’ve registered for Leadership Forum, you will receive a confirmation email with your unique registration number. Save this email as you may need it to make changes to your registration.
If you need to make modifications to your registration, click the “Modify Registration” link in your confirmation email or contact us at [email protected].
What are the registration fees for Out & Equal Partners?
Out & Equal Partners receive Leadership Forum registrations as part of the Partnership Benefits Package. These allocations can be secured and additional registrations can be purchased at the Partner Rate of $2,299 through the Event Partner Portalby the Partnership Primary Contact.
To inquire about how to take advantage of our Partner rate, please contact us at [email protected].
Can I transfer or cancel my registration?
Registration transfers, exchanges, and cancellations can be handled up to 30 days prior to the start date of the event by contacting [email protected]. The same Learning Track is not guaranteed for transfers as groups are filled on a rolling basis until they reach capacity.
