ILION, NY — August 31, 2026 – NEXT will bring community members, municipal officials, business
leaders and regional stakeholders together October 28–29 for the Mohawk Valley Revitalization
Summit, a two-day event focused on strengthening communities and capitalizing on the significant
opportunities facing the Mohawk Valley.
The Summit will take place at Herkimer County Community College in Herkimer, NY. Day One will
feature a Regional Summit open to the public, while Day Two will offer an invitation-only Leadership
Forum designed to move the conversation from ideas to action.
Headlining the event will be Charles Marohn, founder of Strong Towns, a national movement focused
on helping communities become financially strong and resilient. A professional engineer and land-use
planner, Marohn is a nationally recognized author and speaker known for challenging conventional
approaches to growth and development and encouraging communities to pursue incremental, locally
driven strategies that create lasting prosperity.
The Summit comes at an important time for the Mohawk Valley, as communities across the region
navigate significant investment and decisions related to housing, infrastructure, downtown
revitalization, workforce needs and economic development.
“The Mohawk Valley is at an important moment,” said Michele Hummel, Executive Director of NEXT,
“We have tremendous investment and opportunity coming into our region. This Summit is about
bringing people together to think differently about how we capitalize on that momentum and ensure
the decisions we make today create strong, sustainable communities for generations to come.”
Day One: Inspire
The October 28 Regional Summit will be open to the public and designed for residents, businesses,
nonprofit organizations, community advocates and government leaders interested in the future of
their communities.
Marohn will challenge attendees to examine some of the assumptions that have shaped local growth
and development for decades, including how communities approach infrastructure, public investment,
development and long-term financial sustainability.
The program will provide an opportunity for people from across the Mohawk Valley to hear new
perspectives, exchange ideas and consider practical approaches to creating stronger, more resilient
communities.
Empowering Connections Across
Herkimer County and the Mohawk Valley
ADDRESS: 34 Central Plaza, Ilion NY 13357 * PHONE: 315-864-0009
EMAIL: info@herkimernext.org WEBSITE: http://www.herkimercountynext.org
Day Two: Equip Leaders to Take Action
On October 29, the Summit will transition to an invitation-only Leadership Forum bringing together key
regional decision-makers and stakeholders for a deeper conversation about applying those ideas to
challenges and opportunities facing the Mohawk Valley.
Municipal leaders, developers, lenders, engineers, contractors, housing professionals, employers and
other regional partners will be invited to examine how development decisions affect housing,
workforce, infrastructure and the long-term strength of communities across the region.
The two-day format reflects NEXT’s broader mission of strengthening communities across Herkimer
County and the Mohawk Valley by building the capacity, systems and infrastructure that enable
municipalities, nonprofits and community partners to create lasting impact.
“We don’t want this to be an event where everyone leaves inspired and then goes back to doing things
exactly the way they’ve always been done,” Hummel said. “Day Two is intentionally designed to bring
people who influence development, investment and community decision-making together and begin
identifying what we can do differently as a region.”
Event at a Glance
Mohawk Valley Revitalization Summit
Dates: October 28–29, 2026
Location: Herkimer County Community College, Herkimer, NY
October 28: Regional Summit — Open to the Public
October 29: Leadership Forum — Invitation Only
Keynote Speaker: Charles Marohn, Founder of Strong Towns
Registration for the October 28 Regional Summit is now open at
https://kesslerpromotionsinc.regfox.com/strong-towns-mv-revitalization-summit
Additional information and updates are available through NEXT at http://www.herkimercountyNEXT.org
About NEXT, Inc.
NEXT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working across Herkimer County and the Mohawk Valley to
strengthen the systems that support nonprofit, public and economic success. The organization
connects people, projects and resources to advance community development, strengthen
organizations and create lasting regional impact.
