Register (non-Member)
$55
Full day registration for non-member individuals. Includes lunch.
register (CCA Member)
$40
Full day registration for members of the Chicago Cultural Alliance. Includes lunch.
Vendor Application
$500
If you would like to table in our vendor hall during the conference, please email us below
What is Activating Heritage?
Activating Heritage is the Alliance’s annual professional development conference for cultural heritage and non-profit professionals. The conference connects our Core Members and other arts & culture workers from across the Chicago region with capacity-building presentations, panels, and workshops.
What to expect?
The Activating Heritage conference invites experts in a variety of fields to engage with topics that will promote resilience in the cultural heritage sector and enhance attendees’ knowledge, capacity, and skills. Session areas will include collections, fundraising, community engagement, and more.
Join us on the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus for a fully in-person conference. The day’s events feature a keynote address, complimentary lunch and coffee breaks, plenty of networking opportunities, and a robust schedule of panels, workshops, and discussions.
Chicago Community Trust Senior Director of Collective Power
Iona Calhoun-Battiste is the senior director of Collective Power at The Chicago Community Trust. Admired for her ability to cast vision, strategically plan, develop cross-functional teams, and fund innovative social impact solutions, Iona is a trusted leader with more than 21 years of nonprofit experience. Most recently, she served as senior director of programs for Thrive Chicago managing Chicagoland Opportunity Youth and The Obama Foundation, MBK strategies. Before that, she served as a community engagement manager for United Way Metro Chicago directing community investments and developing collaborations through collective impact initiatives. Iona has a master’s degree in developmental psychopathology from Teachers College, Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology, human development from Howard University.
March 10th, 2026
UIC, Student Center East, 750 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60607
