Call for Session Proposals

Session proposals

Strengthening Sovereignty: building indigenous foundations for concrete solutions

Construction in Indian Country (CIIC) 2025 National Conference
Call for Presentations & Educational Sessions

We invite proposals that highlight completed, ongoing, or innovative solutions designed to support tribal communities. Sessions should focus on research, emerging technologies, and best practices that align with CIIC’s principal focus areas.

Presentations should contribute to actionable knowledge, meaningful dialogue, and real-world impact in one or more of the following track areas:

Economic and Workforce Development (Including Casino Development) – Innovative Tribal Casino Partnerships, Diversifying Tribal Economics Beyond Gaming, Building Indigenous Entrepreneurs, and sharing stories of success, lessons learned, resilience, and breakthroughs with one another regarding various funding sources for projects 

Residential and Tribal Housing – Sustainable Tribal Housing, Affordable Housing Solutions in Rural and Remote Areas, Revitalizing Infrastructure with Smart Technologies, Public-Private Partnerships for Housing Development. Challenges and solutions to building out, improving, and developing infrastructure and increasing the living standards of tribal communities.

Infrastructure Development and Improvements (public and private projects) – Public Private Partnerships (P3); ongoing or completed projects and best practices, the emerging manufacturing market. Supply chain/resource and personnel challenges and solutions. Emerging technologies and their applications to tribal communities.

Tribal Leadership, Governance, and Economic Development – Tribal Sovereignty and Governance Innovation, Leadership for the Next Generation, Community Engagement in Governance, and Tribal Sovereignty in the Digital Age. Governance that impacts the designs and construction of tribal communities, procurement processes, opportunities outlook, and diversifying the tribal economy.

Help us drive progress and inspire change by sharing your expertise and stories of innovation. Together, we build the future of Indian Country.

We welcome presentations that reflect the current state of the construction industry in Indian Country, offer insights into construction markets, share lessons learned, or highlight the impact of landmark legislation that has delivered millions of dollars in funding to tribal communities.

Whether your project was supported by federal, state, tribal, or private funding sources, this is a platform to share stories of success, resilience, and breakthrough achievements.

Let’s learn from one another—through experience, innovation, and the collective wisdom that strengthens our communities.

Process of Selection

The CIIC Conference Session Selection Committee will give special consideration to interactive, skills-building workshops with experienced and knowledgeable presenters. Workshops and presenters must appeal to one or more of the following groups (but not limited to): Tribal Enterprises, Tribal Officials, Tribal Leaders, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Suppliers, Architects, Planners, or Engineers.

Workshop sessions are 60 minutes (Introductions – 5 mins, Presentation – 45 mins, Q&A – 10 mins).

The Mission of Construction in Indian Country (CIIC) is to support construction management education to benefit American Indian and Indigenous communities as they increase their capacities to manage their own affairs while determining their own destinies. Our Vision is that all Indigenous communities shall have the technical capabilities and personnel to manage construction activities at industry-best standards.

Selection schedule

Proposal Submission Deadline On or Before: Friday, July 11, 2025, midnight PST or until all sessions are filled.
Notification of Selection: On/after Friday, August 4, 2025 (until all sessions are filled)
Final edits due for accepted session proposal for printing (abstracts/title/biographies/updated preferences): Friday, August 22, 2025
Deadline for Session Acceptance: Wednesday, August 15, 2025
Agenda announcement: Monday, August 18, 2025
If selected, Speaker Registration is required. (Speaker rate is $495).

Proposal format

The conference session proposal form is divided into 5 sections. You may go back to edit your responses after you have submitted. All session proposals will be reviewed after July 11, 2025. We suggest you make your final edits to your proposal no later than the deadline, July 11, 2025. We reserve the right to extend the proposal deadline and adjust the selection schedule if the Selection Committee deems necessary.

Section 1: Primary Contact Information – Please provide the contact details for the individual who will serve as the main point of contact for this presentation. This person will be notified of any important updates or sudden changes to the program schedule (e.g., room location, date, or time adjustments). This ensures we can reach you promptly with any time-sensitive updates related to your session.

Section 2: Scope & Topic – This section collects details and information about your session.

Type of session (panel, presentation, workshop)
Audience level (novice, intermediate, expert)
Track selection
Session Title (10 words max limit)
Abstract (300 words max limit)
Session Description (500 word max limit)
File upload (optional, must have Google account)

Section 3: Rationale – This section assists the Conference Session Proposal Selection Committee with the rationale behind the proposal.

Why is the topic current and important?
Why the session may attract a large number of attendees?
How the session differs from others; i.e., related workshops and conferences of similar topic?

Section 4: Presenters – Please provide details for each session presenter. You may list up to three (3) presenters per session.

Required for Each Presenter:

• Full Name
• Job Title
• Company/Organization and/or Tribal Affiliation
• Biography (50 words max) – A brief summary highlighting the presenter’s relevant background, expertise, or experience related to the session topic.

This information will be used in the conference program and promotional materials, so please ensure accuracy and clarity.

Section 5: Preferences & Survey – This section will collect your preferences and short optional survey.

Technical requirements: Does your session have spatial requirements or need the following: laptop, projector, sound, etc.?
Preferred session times (responses are not a guarantee of a date/time assignment)
Survey (optional)

Contact

For questions or more information about our call for proposals, contact Program Manager, Shawna Begay-Cowdell.