HEFN Director Karla Fortunato authored this blog post.

This summer, I shared three reasons why funders should attend HEFN’s 2013 Annual Meeting, “Power of People.” But why stop at three? Here are seven more reasons for funders to join HEFN in Washington, DC on October 29-30:

1. Brain power. Where else could you hear from a national civil rights leader, a robotics professor and the Director of the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences all in one day?
2. Context. Experts will explain how demographic shifts in the American electorate could impact opportunities to win on environmental health and environmental justice issues.
3. Winning moves. Speakers will highlight exciting wins from the field, and we’ll explore what political and strategic lessons from other movements can teach us.
4. Tools and technology.  (This is where the robotics professor comes in.)  This year, we’ll feature two groups developing tools to measure and map environmental health hazards.  Not only will there be demos of these tools, but we’ll hear about how funders can think about supporting innovation.  This session will be fun!
5. New skills. This year’s agenda features TED Talk-style workshops focused on bringing funders up to speed on environmental health science, how to conduct opposition research, and how to tell good stories about science.
6. Collaboration. Funder discussions will tackle how grantmakers can work together to support progress on chemicals policy reform and fracking.
7. Face time.  The agenda is packed with time to catch up with colleagues and experts from around the country.  Alongside programming and networking, there will be opportunities for funders to discuss new strategies and efforts to move critical environmental health and justice work forward.

For a comprehensive look at what’s on deck for #HEFN13, check out this year’s agenda. Ready to register? Sign up here. See you in DC!