Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder

Aspen Ideas: Economy Announces Agenda Exploring the Forces Shaping Our Shared Economic Future

Hundreds of leading voices from across business, finance, policy, media, the creative sector, and more are set to appear in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from October 13-15. 

Join speakers including Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Senator Alan Armstrong, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Edward Jones Managing Partner Penny Pennington, Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar, and Ariel Investments Chairman John Rogers Jr.

Tulsa, OK, Thursday, October 1, 2026 —The Aspen Institute today shared the full agenda for Aspen Ideas: Economy. Taking place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from Tuesday, October 13 to Thursday, October 15, this signature Aspen Ideas event provides a unique forum for understanding the perspectives and decisions shaping our economic future. 

Anchored by the theme “The Once and Future Wealth of Nations,” on the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s foundational text, programming will incorporate dynamic mainstage conversations, deep dive conversations, intimate roundtables, leadership seminars, and immersive activations that define the Aspen Ideas experience. 

The full agenda is available here and the speaker list is here. Passes are available for purchase, and members of the media are invited to register for press credentials.

“We’re grateful to Tulsa for opening its doors to Aspen Ideas: Economy. At a moment of rapid technological and economic change, the question of our time is whether the next era of growth will accelerate or arrest the divide between those who are thriving and those falling behind,” said Ida Rademacher, Vice President at the Aspen Institute and Executive Producer of Aspen Ideas: Economy. “Here, in a city with deep experience meeting hard questions with honesty and resolve, we’re convening rigorous conversation about what’s possible and what it will take for this economy to work for everyone. We want all who join us to leave with a clearer sense of what’s changing, what’s at stake, and what they can do about it.”

Programming will explore six timely tracks that speak to the present and future of the economy: Builders and Believers, Making Place, Money & Meaning, Powering the Future, Work & Dignity, and The Founding Bargain. Across three days of immersive dialogue, speakers will address fundamental questions on the big stage: What makes a neighborhood, or even a nation, wealthy? Who gets to create and own that wealth? As technology transforms our work, what happens to workers, wages, and the traditional pathways to economic security and wealth? And how can we ensure prosperity for the next generation? 

Longer “Deep Dive” sessions and leadership seminars give attendees the opportunity to grapple with tough topics and bold ideas. Among the questions to be explored: How can America turn volatility into energy security? What does it take to build a middle class today, or finance the housing we need? How can we align college with the needs of the future workforce? Where are tomorrow’s big opportunities, from AI and infrastructure, to reshoring manufacturing and the growing space economy? And are radical ideas formerly on the edges now the new center?

These issues, and more, will be tackled by leaders in business, finance, policy, media, nonprofits, and the creative sector. Among the speakers:

  • Shad Ahmed, Economic Mobility Lead, Anthropic
  • Alan Armstrong, United States Senator, Oklahoma
  • Byron Auguste, CEO and Co-Founder, Opportunity@Work
  • Shena Ashley, Vice President, Capital One Community Impact & Investment and President, Capital One Insights Center
  • Ellie Bertani, CEO, GitLab Foundation
  • Jason Bordoff, Founding Director, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University SIPA
  • Jim Bridenstine, Chief Executive Officer, Quantum Space; Former Administrator, NASA
  • Dorothy Brown, Professor of Law, Georgetown University
  • Chet Cadieux, Chairman and CEO, QuikTrip Corporation
  • Blair W. Effron, Co-Founder & Partner, Centerview Partners
  • Garnesha Ezediaro, Greenwood Initiative Lead, Bloomberg Philanthropies
  • Kaya Henderson, Executive Director, Center for Rising Generations at the Aspen Institute
  • David Holt, Mayor, Oklahoma City
  • Chuck Hoskin Jr., Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation
  • Robin Hughes, President & CEO, Housing Partnership Network
  • Tim Latimer, CEO & Co-Founder, Fervo Energy
  • Nancy Lazar, Chief Global Economist, Piper Sandler
  • Monroe Nichols, Mayor, City of Tulsa
  • Penny Pennington, Managing Partner, Edward Jones
  • John Rogers Jr., Chairman & Co-CEO, Ariel Investments
  • Robert Rubin, Senior Counselor, Centerview Partners; Former United States Treasury Secretary
  • Daleep Singh, Vice Chair and Chief Global Economist, PGIM
  • Aneesh Sohoni, CEO, Teach For America
  • Kevin Stitt, Governor, State of Oklahoma
  • Polly Trottenberg, Dean, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
  • Dominic Williams, Expert Associate Partner, McKinsey & Co.

Tulsa and the wider region serve not just as a backdrop to Aspen Ideas: Economy, but as a critical source of inspiration for globally relevant programming. The city is evolving from its history as “Oil Capital of the World” into a multi-billion-dollar energy tech hub, while simultaneously addressing the legacy of historic Black Wall Street. The area is also uniquely intertwined with the sovereign influence of the Cherokee, Muscogee, and Osage Nations, whose Tribal enterprises serve as a major engine for regional growth. As a “living laboratory,” programming draws from Tulsa’s past and looks towards its future, with important lessons for communities defining their own economic futures.

Aspen Ideas: Economy gives attendees the opportunity to experience the city of Tulsa in full, with mainstage programming in the historic Cain’s Ballroom; excursions to historic Black Wall Street, the Route 66 Mother Road Market, Kendall Whittier, Fab Lab Tulsa, and more; lively nightcap conversations at The Lowdown; free concerts, art, and yoga on Guthrie Green; access to cultural landmarks including the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center, and much more.  

This year’s event is the second annual Aspen Ideas: Economy; the first gathering, with Prudential Financial as Founding Sponsor, took place in October 2025 and brought hundreds of attendees to Newark, New Jersey to explore the Ownership Economy, the Longevity Economy, and the Creative Economy. Programming from 2025 is available to watch on the Aspen Ideas website.

Aspen Ideas: Economy is made possible through the generous support of the Coretz Family Foundation, Prudential Financial, Capital One, Citi, Amazon, Cherokee Nation Businesses, Micron, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Tulsa Innovation Labs, Ruth Nelson Family Foundation, Edward Jones, Walmart, Audible, McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation, and Maxine & Jack Zarrow Family Foundation. 

Media Contact: Jon Purves, Media Relations Director, Aspen Institute: [email protected].

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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.