About the Summit

The Jefferson Innovation Summit series was founded on the belief that only through a critical dialogue between diverse stakeholders can we begin to make progress on the actions needed to accelerate innovation. Each summit convenes a diverse set of delegates including corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, governmental officials, policy experts, and academics.

Unlike conferences that focus on speeches and panel discussions, the summits are designed to inspire dialogue and action. Each summit features a three-part format that includes: a discussion in the round involving all the delegates that is modeled after the Socratic case study method; a facilitated ideation session to generate ideas and solutions to overcome the obstacles identified during the discussion in the round; and an interactive workshop to compose and develop constructive recommendations. Summits culminate with a celebratory dinner to continuing networking and discussion.

The morning discussion will be open to the public. If you would like to attend, please register with Emily Jeffers at jefferse@darden.virginia.edu.

The Jefferson Innovation Summit will be held in conjunction with the 13^th Annual Tom Tom Festival, which runs April 16 through April 20. Attendees will meet in the Bradbury for the morning session. Lunch and the afternoon session will be held in the Virginia Vault, which is immediately behind the Bradbury. Following the networking reception, delegates are welcome to join the free Tom Tom Block Party on the downtown mall.