Future Summit South 2025

Our second-ever Future Summit South began not in a conference room, but on the greens of Topgolf. Laughter and conversation echoed over swings, setting the tone for three days of connection, curiosity, and bold thinking.

For lawmakers from across the South, Bentonville, Arkansas became more than a conference destination — it became a living classroom. At the Walmart Home Office, they stepped inside a vision of the future of work, exploring how culture, design, and investment can transform communities. Later, at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, art became a lens for leadership. Walking trails, exploring galleries, and reflecting together, legislators considered how creativity and culture shape civic identity and what it means to build communities that thrive.

Between site visits and shared meals, the heart of the summit took shape in dialogue. In plenaries, legislators leaned into curiosity, exploring how openness and courage can mitigate conflict and lead to resolution. During a legislative bill share hour, ideas flowed freely — a room full of perspectives across state and party lines. Lawmakers spoke candidly about their successes, missteps, and lessons learned. It was a moment of vulnerability and trust, where encouragement sparked collaboration, and fresh ideas and strategies for legislation emerged.

Every conversation, every connection, every moment in Bentonville was guided by a single question: What will it mean to keep the future in focus?

For those who gathered, the answer was clear. Leadership is not just about policy — it’s about vision, trust, empathy, and the courage to see beyond today. Future Summit South was more than a conference. It was a call to lead differently.

Over two days of site visits and discussions, lawmakers connected with experts and practitioners leading maternal health innovation in Arkansas. At the Helen Walton Children’s Enrichment Center, Fellows saw how investing early changes futures. At the Heartland Whole Health Institute, they learned how innovation, philanthropy, and policy can align to reimagine care. And in conversation after conversation, they discovered how building systems of care — across party lines and state lines — can drive lasting change for families.

For these lawmakers, Bentonville wasn’t just a destination. It was a blueprint for how collaboration, data, and imagination can come together to give every child the strongest possible start.