Another Summer Meeting has come and gone, and as in year’s past, our gathering in Minneapolis was full of moments to remember.

This year, in what was one of the biggest highlights for me personally, the Federation team took a few moments to tell participants about our work and our vision for the state-based movement in the years to come.

But no one is more equipped to talk about the Federation’s impact than our partners in this work. Watch and share the video we debuted at Summer Meeting 2014:

This year’s Summer Meeting was our biggest yet — with more than 160 attendees from 26 state-based advocacy groups and 27 national organizations. Leaders from across the nation came together in the North Star State to share their trials and triumphs, to learn from one another, and to forge collaborations for future success.

To be sure, Summer Meeting has become the meeting place for movement leaders.

I believe Summer Meeting keeps growing year after year because it allows our movement’s diverse, smart, savvy leaders to come together to create strategies that truly advance this movement in historic ways.

During the workshops and in meetings happening in every corner of the Hilton, advocates were having meaningful conversations about their work and developing the kind of relationships we know are necessary for our continued success.

I know Summer Meeting 2014 wouldn’t have been such a tremendous success without the work of so many — so I have to offer up a few thanks:

• Thank you to all the workshop presenters! You facilitated discussions on critical issues, offered training on useful skills, and shared resources and expertise that are vital to sustaining momentum in our movement moment.
• Thank you to all of the incredible state leaders who gave a FEDtalk! Your energetic and captivating presentations about the most innovative parts of your work stood out, once again, as a major highlight of Summer Meeting.
• Thank you to Monica Meyer and her team at OutFront Minnesota for welcoming us all to Minneapolis. From a scenic walk along Lake Harriet to the Walker Art Center to the Theatre of Public Policy, you showed us so much of what Minneapolis has to offer.

Every Summer Meeting is special, but the energy of this year’s gathering was as unique as the movement moment we’re in. Without a doubt, I came to Minneapolis feeling incredibly proud of all that our movement has accomplished, and I left feeling wonderfully energized to do the work that remains.

As our movement makes historic advances each year, it’s more important than ever that we continue to come together to mark our progress and refuel for the work ahead.

Next year, we’ll do just that at Summer Meeting 2015 in North Carolina! Chris Sgro and his team at Equality NC have agreed to host us for what will be another remarkable gathering of movement leaders. Stay tuned for more details!