The Economic Futures Summit’s engaging agenda will follow three tracks that take us from where we are today (the Roots), through what’s emerging (the Branches), to the future we can create (the Stars), interwoven with pathways for actionable change.
TRACK 1
The Roots:
Leveraging Current Finance
The roots are investment opportunities that are already available and on the market–things like biodiversity credits, green technology, permanent Indigenous conservation funds, sustainable housing or even bioeconomy schools. This track will share examples and connect investors and communities around our current local-to-global solutions for sovereignty and sustainability.
TRACK 2
The Branches:
Elevating Current Solutions
The branches are ideas that are changing what’s possible. They are seeds of emerging ideas that are evolving us toward Indigenous-led solutions. This track will elevate ideas that are creating Indigenous leadership across value chains – like Indigenous lifeway credits, ancestral stewardship credits, restoration economies, new models of brokerages, Indigenous restoration banks and new kinds of funds.
TRACK 3
The Stars:
Evolving Economic Futures
The stars represent what we’re reaching for: a future beyond extractive economies and today’s markets, anchored in the stars of our ancestors. This track will explore what’s possible for the next generation of conservation, climate or sustainability investments when we build from Indigenous concepts like the gift economies explored by Robin Wall Kimmerer, the ‘ayni’ concept of the Andean cosmovision, or the ‘seven generation principle’ that guides the Haudenosaunee Confederation, among many other Nations.
Pathways to Action
Threaded across the tracks are Pathways to Action sessions that introduce tangible pathways for change and workshop outcomes with attendees. Partners leading these pathways will carry the outcomes beyond the summit, driving change through the months ahead.
Schedule
The schedule on this page represents a high-level order of events over the three-day summit, for detailed descriptions of the deep dive rooms including moderator and speaker allocations view or download the full agenda (pdf).
*Note the full agenda document (pdf) will be updated as details are confirmed, please check the website and for the most up-to-date schedule prior to the event.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
8:15-9:00am
Breakfast & Registration
PLENARY
Local to Global Solutions for Sovereignty & Sustainability
9:00-9:15am
Tribal Host Welcome
9:15-10:00am
Opening Remarks
Gwen Bridge, Co-Founder Indigenous Engagement Institute
James Rattling Leaf, Sr., Co-Founder Indigenous Engagement Institute
Heather Tallis, Senior Fellow, University of California, Santa Cruz
10:00-10:30am
Turtle Island Economic Futures
Corrina Gould, Tribal Chair, Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Ohlone
10:30-10:45am
North American Economic Futures
Daniel Taillant, Executive Director, Commission on Environmental Cooperation
10:00-10:30am
Global Economic Futures
Fawn Sharp, Former President, Quinault Indian Nation & National Congress of American Indians
Chris Filardi, Chief Research Officer, Nia Tero
11:00- 11:30am
Coffee Break
TRACK 1
11:30am- 12:30pm
Current Investment Options
T1:1 What Are Today’s Investment Options?
T1:2 How Do We Get Beyond Public Finance?
T1:3 Strategies & Stories For Engaging In Today’s Economies
T1:4 Investing in Cultural Fire
T1:5 Biodiversity Credits: Why, How, Now!
12:30- 2:00pm
PLENARY
2:00-2:30pm
Momentum for Action
Geneva Thompson, California Department of Natural Resources
2:30-2:45pm
Coffee Break
CROSSCUTTING
2:45- 4:00pm
Pathways For Action
P1:1 Bringing Ideas to Market: Who’s Ready For A Deal?
P1:2 Backbone of Indigenous Economies
P1:3 Indigenous Leadership and Capacity
P1:4 Indigenous Economic Visions
T1:6 The Catalytic Role of Philanthropy in Evolving Economies
4:00- 4:15pm
Coffee Break
PLENARY
4:15-5:00pm
American Indian Cultural District:
Empowering Native Voices of Yelamu
Sharaya Souza, Executive Director & Co-Founder, American Indian Cultural District
Gregg Castro, Association of Ramaytush Ohlone
American Indian Cultural District Leadership Council
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
8:15-9:00am
Breakfast & Registration
PLENARY
Pivoting to the Future
9:00-9:15am
Start In A Good Way
Cliff Cardinal, Saddle Lake Cree Nation
9:15-10:15am
Evolving Towards Indigenous Economies
Tyson Yunkaporta, Apalech Clan, Author
10:20- 11:00am
Coffee Break
TRACK 2
11:00am- 12:30pm
Elevating Indigenous Investments
T2:1 Wholistic Economies Through Trade
T2:2 Designing for Life: Reimagining Finance for a Living Future
T2:3 Indigenous Bioregional Finance; Rebuilding our Relations to Regenerate our Homelands
T2:4 Evolving the Value Chain
T2:5 Lightning Talks
12:30- 2:00pm
PLENARY
2:00- 2:45pm
Stories to Futures
Revealing Indigenous Concepts of Economy and Finance
Rayanna Seymour, RELAW Lawyer and Program Lead
2:45-3:00pm
Coffee Break
TRACK 3
3:00- 3:45pm
Exploring Stories
T3:1 Rayanna Seymour, RELAW Lawyer and Program Lead
T3:2 Katłıà Lafferty, RELAW Co-learning Manager
T3:3 Navjot Jassar, RELAW Lawyer
T3:4 Georgia Lloyd-Smith, RELAW Lawyer
T3:5 Gwen Bridge, Indigenous Engagement Institute
3:45- 4:00pm
Coffee Break
PLENARY
Returning to Stories as Futures
4:00-4:20pm
Reflecting on Stories
Rayanna Seymour and team
4:20-4:40pm
Translating Story to Practice
Keoni Lee, Hawaii Investment Ready
4:45-5:30pm
Sharing Stories For Economic Futures
Cliff Cardinal, Saddle Lake Cree Nation
Rob Edward, Lower Similkameen Indian Band
5:30-6:30pm
Transition to Optional Evening Event -Buses provided
OPTIONAL
6:30-9:00pm
Evening of Connection
In Partnership with the California Academy of Sciences
9:00pm
Transportation back to Ft. Mason
Thursday, November 6, 2025
8:15-9:00am
Breakfast & Registration
PLENARY
Indigenous Economic Visions
9:00-9:30am
Start in a Good Way & Remarks on Economic Visions
Chairman Greg Sarris, Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
9:30-10:00am
Walking in Balance of Cultural Values and Economic Pursuit
Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, Former Grand Chief of Kahnawà:ke
10:00-10:15am
Coffee Break
CROSSCUTTING
10:15- 11:45pm
Pathways For Action
P1:1 Bringing Ideas to Market: Who’s Ready For A Deal?
P1:2 Backbone of Indigenous Economies
P1:3 Indigenous Leadership and Capacity
P1:4 Indigenous Economic Visions
T2:6 Digital Infrastructure, Indigenous Ideas
11:45am-12:00pm
Return to Plenary
PLENARY
The Way Forward
12:00-12:30pm
Indigenous Regenerative Land Management: Time tested win-win solutions for Humanity and the Earth
Lyla June
12:30-12:45pm
Summit Closing
Gwen Bridge, James Rattling Leaf, Sr., Heather Tallis
12:45- 1:30pm
OPTIONAL
1:30-5:00pm
Walking Tour of Presidio National Park
Melissa Nelson
de Young Museum – Arts of Indigenous America
Free admission to museum – self-guided, no transport provided
We are proud to serve breakfast and lunch catered by Wahpepah’s Kitchen.
Meet Chef Wahpepah
What to expect at the inaugural Economic Futures Summit
Networking to leverage existing finance solutions in Indigenous communities, and with Indigenous Peoples
Creating opportunities for strategic connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous climate, conservation, and economic leaders and investors to explore existing mechanisms and evaluate options for collaborative and sustainable economic planning.
Elevating current approaches
Seeding near-term pathways for existing credits, standards and brokerages to evolve and become more Indigenous-led and effective.
Evolving the future
Shaping, investing in and taking action on novel future economic models for conservation and climate finance, driven by Indigenous concepts of finance and trade.
Are you ready to shape our economic and environmental future together?
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More schedule details will be released leading up to the event, as well as scholarship options for Indigenous attendees.
