2026 Annual Conference

GCC 2026 Annual Conference: Stay Rooted: Growth, Strength, & Resilience

Sacramento, CA on Monday June 22 - Thursday, June 25, 2026

 

decorative logo of tree with circular Graduate Career Consortium logo at center

The GCC annual conference strives to provide an opportunity for members to build communities of support and stay on the cutting edge of the field of career and professional development. This inspiring and forward-looking conference will celebrate the positive impacts our work has on the lives of graduate students, postdocs, and faculty, and campus, employer, and community stakeholders, emphasizing our shared commitment to adapting and evolving within academia's shifting landscape. It offers a unique opportunity to showcase and discuss innovative programs, resources, collaborative relationships, and dynamic data approaches that help us stay responsive to the changing needs of graduate students and postdocs.

 

Our Call for Proposals is now open! 


See our Call for Proposals

 

Learn More

Call for Proposals | Conference Theme | Conference Registration & Details | New Professionals Workshop ("Precon") | First Timers and Social Events | Post-Conference | Sponsors & Exhibitors |

Coming Soon:
Conference Agenda | Keynotes | Post-Conference | Questions

The annual GCC Conference is our hallmark event where members can share their work and learn from one another. Member-generated sessions, poster sessions, meetups, social gatherings, and keynote speakers make these events something to look forward to.

Last Year's Conference by the Numbers

  • 219 attendees
  • 107 speakers
  • 45 Individual 1-hour sessions, 11 lightning talks, 16 showcase poster presenters
  • 3 keynote speakers
  • 7 regional meetings

OUR THEME FOR 2026: Stay Rooted: Growth, Strength, & Resilience

Join fellow GCCers in Sacramento, historically known as the “City of Trees”, to remind us of our community, roots, and values. Together we can withstand much and our grove can cultivate, nurture, and protect our roots which have nourished our members as we look back over nearly four decades. Whether it is time for us to reach to the sky or find new winding directions to reach for the light, our GCC community will stand for our values, our members, and our trainees.

Sacramento long featured the saying, “the City of Trees” on its iconic water tower. It has a long legacy of orienteering, navigation, and arborist history. Trees were planted historically to help provide shade, until they grew so numerous that it became the city with the highest number of trees per capita. This included Cottonwood trees for shade, Eucalyptus to dry swamps, and eventually willows, palms, and fruit trees to line the streets. The Arbor Day Foundation designated it as such in 1978, and our conference hotel will be hosting our members across the street from the Capitol, where members and guests can wander the spacious tree-lined walkways and be surrounded by surprises of the many varieties of trees on display, growing strong.

Conference Registration and Details:

Pre-Conference for new professional and first-time GCC attendees: Monday, June 22 (all day)
Welcome Reception: Monday, June 22, 2026 (evening)
Annual Conference: Tuesday - Thursday, June 23-25, 2026
Post-Conference (tentative): Thursday afternoon, June 25, 2026

Conference Hotel: Hyatt Regency Sacramento

New Graduate Career Professionals Workshop/Pre-Conference (affectionately known as Precon)

You are invited to register for one of the GCC’s most highly recommended professional development events, the “New Graduate Career Professionals Workshop", or what GCCers affectionately call "Precon" on Monday, June 22, 2026. This pre-conference workshop is open to new GCC members, professionals who are new to working with graduate students and postdocs, and any GCC member wishing to build community as part of a full day of interactive programs and events. All are welcome, whether you are:

  • new in your career-development role
  • attending your first GCC conference and seeking colleagues
  • returning for an immersive day of information and connections
  • seeking concrete suggestions for advising/coaching, resources, and programs for graduate students and/or postdoctoral scholars; or
  • launching your own path as future leaders within the GCC and beyond

GCC First Timers Guide & Social Events 

Is this your first time at the Graduate Career Consortium Annual Conference? We are looking forward to seeing you! We will be uploading our "GCC First timers guide" soon so you know exactly what to look forward to when you arrive in Sacramento in June! 
 

Post-Conference

For the first time, GCC will have a post-conference event for our attendees. We are looking forward to seeing you there. Stay tuned for more information soon!

Sponsors & Exhibitors

There are many benefits to becoming a sponsor of the Graduate Career Consortium. This year, as a sponsor and exhibitor you have the opportunity to advertise not only during our mult-day conference but also have your company advertised on the GCC website and through our member-only listserv. See what are the way you can become a sponsor of the Graduate Career Consortium.

Interested in support the GCC Annual Conference? Become a sponsor!