2026 NCA Annual Leadership Retreat: Baltimore, MD
February 6-7, 2026
Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards
110 S Eutaw St, Baltimore, MD 21201
Grand Ballroom – First Floor
EC Meeting (Closed Meeting)
February 4, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
February 5, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Annual Leadership Retreat
February 6, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
February 7, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Welcome Information
NCA acknowledges that the land on which Baltimore is situated is the traditional and unceded territory of the Piscataway, Susquehannock, and other Indigenous peoples who have lived in this region for thousands of years. The Piscataway people are the original stewards of this land, maintaining a rich cultural and spiritual connection to the waterways, forests, and lands of the Chesapeake Bay region.
NCA has often gathered upon unceded lands, and those gatherings manifested the exclusions and erasures of many Indigenous peoples. We hope to honor the enduring relationships between Indigenous peoples and their ancestral territories. We recognize the grave harm that colonialism brought to these lands, in particular, the erasure of both Indigenous and African identities via slavery and racist laws that segregated all peoples into binary classifications of “white” and “black.”
We commit ourselves to learning from and amplifying Indigenous voices and stories, recognizing that this land acknowledgment is only one step in a larger effort toward transparency, reconciliation, and justice. We also honor the resilience of Indigenous communities, who continue to thrive and contribute to the cultural, environmental, and social fabric of this region.
Welcome!!
Collectively, we have a deep appreciation for and commitment to NCA. We have chosen to dedicate our time, energy, and effort in leadership roles that will help us fulfill our shared vision of taking NCA to the next level. Towards that end, our retreat is an opportunity to brainstorm and identify ways we can be closer to the ideal organization we envision it (and us) becoming. Hopefully, the year’s theme of “Leading in Full Color: Purpose in Action” will inspire us all to advance NCA’s strategic plan and goals for advancing the discipline. By embracing a color vision, we embrace the spirit of NCA through colors that prioritize how we can strategically embody royalty and responsibility (purple), hope and momentum (orange), awareness and accountability (pink), and possibility and adaptability (yellow). I thank you in advance for working together and look forward to the retreat and more.
Dr. Tina M. Harris
NCA President
Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards
Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards is located in the city’s Arts & Entertainment District, next to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The hotel is nestled in the Inner Harbor, near the Baltimore Convention Center and M&T Bank Stadium.
- Executive Committee
- IDEA Council
- Mentorship and Leadership Council
- Publications Council
- Research Council
- Teaching and Learning Council
See 2026 NCA Leadership Webpage for bios of EC and Council Members:
RETREAT MATERIALS
NCA Annual Leadership Retreat
Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards
February 6 & 7, 2026
Thursday, February 5, 2026
| Arrive in Baltimore. Hotel check-in is 4:00 PM |
Dinner on your own (NCA will reimburse up to $40). |
Day One: Friday, February 6, 2026
| Time | Leadership Retreat Activity |
| 8:00–9:00 AM | Breakfast (East/West Ballroom) |
| 9:00–9:15 AM | Welcome and Retreat Overview (East/West Ballroom) |
| 9:15–10:00 AM | Introductions and Icebreaker |
| 10:00–10:45 AM | Governance and Confidentiality |
| 10:45–11:00 AM | Break |
| 11:00 AM–12:00 PM | Mentorship: Personal Experience, Individual Councils, Small Group Discussions, Interactive Feedback |
| 12:00–1:00 PM | Lunch (East/West Ballroom) |
| 1:00–1:30 PM | Preparing for Council Work: Mentoring, Virtual Learning Opportunities, Building a Charge |
| 1:30–3:30 PM | Council Meetings NCA Officers (East/West Ballroom) Finance Committee (Salon F) IDEA Council (Salon E) Mentorship and Leadership Council (Salon D) Research Council (Salon C) Publications Council (Salon A) Teaching and Learning Council (Salon B) |
| 3:30–3:45 PM | Break |
| 3:45–5:00 PM | Council Meetings Continue |
| 5:30 PM | Wine and Beer Hour (Bar outside of the Promenade Room – Level Lobby) |
| 6:00 PM | Leadership Retreat Dinner (Promenade Room – Level Lobby) |
Day Two: Saturday, February 7, 2026
| Time | Leadership Retreat Activity |
| 8:00–9:00 AM | Breakfast (East/West Ballroom) |
| 9:00–10:15 AM | Council Meetings (Same rooms) |
| 10:20 AM–11:00 AM | Draft Charge Review (East/West Ballroom) |
| 11:00 AM | Departures. Lunch on your own (NCA will reimburse up to $40). |
This year’s Leadership Retreat focuses on mentorship in the Communication discipline. President Tina Harris has asked the Councils to work on three assignments:
- Mentorship-related Projects, Initiatives, or Resources
During your breakout discussions, consider how your Council can support mentorship beyond convention programming. Identify potential projects, initiatives, or resources your council could help develop or support.
- Virtual Learning Opportunity (VLO) Ideas
Develop draft topics and ideas for a Virtual Learning Opportunity program for the coming year.
- Developing or Refining your Council Charge
Discuss how to develop or refine a formal charge for your Council to help guide future work. Write a draft that describes the Council’s purpose, main responsibilities, and typical contributions.
This worksheet is designed to guide Council breakout discussions to capture key ideas and priorities for Council work for the year.
Tina M. Harris & Celeste N. Lee (2019) Advocate-mentoring: a communicative response to diversity in higher education, Communication Education, 68:1, 103-113
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
NCA will reimburse you for:
- Travel to destination (coach class airfare, airport parking, mileage (72.5 cents per mile), or train)
- Ground transportation between airport and hotel (taxi/Uber/Lyft)
- Parking
Requests for reimbursement must be made using the NCA Reimbursement Form within 30 days of travel and should be sent to Pene Durham at NCA-payables@bill.com. Receipts are required to support all reimbursements.