CIO Ascent
CIO Ascent members together at a National Park retreat

A nationwide CIO circle for Chief Information Officers, with retreats in U.S. National Parks.

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Next on the trailSpring 2027 RetreatZion National Park · May 12–16, 2027

A change of pace sitting CIOs

A nationwide group for Chief Information Officers who own the technology strategy that drives the business: AI, data, security, cloud and infrastructure, enterprise applications, budget, vendors, and talent, and rarely get the altitude to set it down. CIO Ascent gives the seat a place to recharge and a circle to reconnect with.

Leaders in the community
400+

Vetted, top CIOs and CISOs across CIO Ascent and our sister group, CISO Ascent.

Peers per retreat
60

Small enough to know every name. Large enough to find the handful that will text you back next quarter.

Retreats a year
2x

Spring and fall, in a new National Park each time. Every retreat benefits local parks and communities.

Why CIO Ascent

Less ballroom. More backcountry.

Few seats in the C-suite carry more weight, or less peer cover, than the CIO. You own the AI mandate, the budget conversation, the platform bets, the talent plan, and the board's expectations of all of it.

Mountains are the room. Twice a year, in a different National Park, sixty CIOs trade the inbox for a trail and an after-dinner fire. Three days to step back, think clearly, and build the peer relationships you lean on the rest of the year. A portion of every retreat goes back to the park and the community that hosts us.

How It Feels

Less of the usual.
More of the trail.

The format is the message. A few things a CIO Ascent retreat trades for something better.

  • Keynote stagesPeer-led conversation, on the trail.
  • Panel theaterTrailside talk beats stage talk.
  • Hotel ballroomsTrade fluorescent for open sky.
  • Always-on inboxThree days off the grid. On purpose.

A nationwide CIO circle

Recharge the seat.
Reconnect the circle.

Twice a year. Every year.

CIO Ascent members giving back during a National Park retreat
Every retreat supports its host park and community

Giving Back

We give back to the places that host us.

None of this works without the parks and the towns around them. A portion of every CIO Ascent retreat goes back to the National Park we visit and the community next to it.

  • The park

    Part of every retreat goes to the park we're visiting.

  • The town

    We base each retreat in the town next to the park.

  • The trail

    We leave it the way we found it, or better.

On the Trail

What you will find out here.

National Parks, on purpose
National Parks, on purposeA new park every retreat. The setting does half the work. The other half is the people you walk it with.
A circle that picks up the phone
A circle that picks up the phoneReal friendships with peers who have sat in your chair. The kind you text on a Tuesday, not just at a conference.
Permission to recharge
Permission to rechargeThree unhurried days built around walking, eating well, and sleeping under a real sky. The reset is the agenda.
Vetted and small
Vetted and smallSitting CIOs only. Sixty per retreat, small enough to actually know everyone by the second night.
Leave the place better
Leave the place betterA portion of every retreat supports the National Park and the gateway community that hosts us. One rule, every trip: leave it better than you found it.
No paywall to the circle
No paywall to the circleMembership is free. Travel and lodging grants are available for members whose budgets will not stretch. The seat should not be the barrier.

Retreats

We meet twice a year, spring and fall.

Each retreat is in a different National Park. Here's where we started and where we're headed next.

  1. Apr 2026Founded
  2. Sep 17, 2026First retreat
  3. May 12, 2027Next
  4. Fall 2027Planned
Zion National Park

Now accepting

Spring 2027 Retreat

Zion National Park · St. George, UT

May 12–16, 2027 · 60 CIOs

View retreat

Membership is free

Find your circle
on the trail.

Apply to join a vetted, nationwide circle of CIOs who choose the wilderness, and each other, over another ballroom.

Apply for membership