CxO Ascent Celebrates Back-to-Back Executive Retreats at Yellowstone National Park
Two executive communities. Two distinct retreats. One shared commitment to helping leaders connect, collaborate, and recharge.
September brought two of our executive communities to Yellowstone country, one after the other. For CxO Ascent, it was a meaningful moment: the continued growth of CISO Ascent and the first retreat for CIO Ascent, brought to life in the same remarkable corner of Montana.
CISO Ascent gathered September 13–16, 2026. CIO Ascent followed September 17–20. Both communities made Bozeman their base camp, with time in Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding mountains.
Two communities, each with its own experience
The two retreats were separate gatherings, designed around the people and responsibilities of each community. CISO Ascent brought cybersecurity leaders together for its third retreat, following Asheville and Colorado Springs. CIO Ascent welcomed technology leaders for its inaugural gathering.
Keeping those experiences distinct matters. Each community gives its members time with peers who understand their role, while sharing the wider CxO Ascent mission of connection, collaboration, and renewal.
CISO Ascent continues its journey
For CISO Ascent, the Fall retreat continued a story that began in the Blue Ridge Mountains in October 2025 and moved to the Colorado Rockies in May 2026. Yellowstone added another shared experience to that growing community.
The agenda brought security leaders to Mammoth Terraces, Old Faithful, and Midway Geyser Basin, followed by a morning at Hyalite Reservoir. Time on the trail and around the table gave people opportunities to reconnect, welcome new peers, and step away from the pace of their everyday work.
Read the full CISO Ascent Yellowstone celebration.
A first ascent for the CIO community
The following week marked an important first for CIO Ascent. Its inaugural retreat gave the new community an opportunity to turn its mission into an experience members could share.
The CIO agenda paired a Yellowstone day at Mammoth Terraces, Old Faithful, and Midway Geyser Basin with time around Hyalite Reservoir. More significant than any individual stop was the beginning of a new circle of peers.
Read the CIO Ascent inaugural retreat celebration.
The people are the point
Hosting the retreats back to back demonstrated how one mission can support distinct executive communities. Each group had its own conversations, relationships, and shared moments. Both had room to connect beyond the usual conference setting.
CxO Ascent's role is to help those communities take root and continue growing. The destination creates an opportunity to get away. The relationships give that experience lasting value.
We are grateful to the members, boards, retreat crew, and partners who made these gatherings possible. The energy and care people bring to these experiences are what make the organization worth building.
Be part of the next chapter
Membership in CIO Ascent and CISO Ascent is completely free. Qualified executives can apply to the community that fits their role. Once approved, members receive retreat invitations.
Connect. Collaborate. Recharge.
Photo credits
Photographs from the CxO Ascent executive retreat collection.
