2026 High Desert Service Center Council Fall Leadership Conference
Empowered to Lead, United to Win
Event Description
At this conference, you will be able to participate in sessions covering negotiations, organizing, advocacy, site rep training, social justice, human rights, unionism and much more. The High Desert Fall Leadership Conference is a great opportunity to train new leaders & sharpen the skills of veteran advocates.
Program
AGENDA*: Click here for the Agenda – coming soon!
SESSIONS GRID*: Click here for the Session Grid – coming soon!
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS*: Click here for the Session Descriptions – coming soon!
*All program details and documents are subject to change.
Friday, November 20
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Pre-Conference: Treasurers Training
4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
CTA Registration Desk & Exhibitor Showcase
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Cocktail Hour
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Welcome Reception Dinner
Saturday, November 21
7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
CTA Registration Desk & Exhibitor Showcase
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast Buffet
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
High Desert Presidents Meeting
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Coffee & Tea Service
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Training Session 1
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Training Session 2
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Lunch Buffet & Keynote Speaker - David B. Goldberg, CTA President
1:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Training Session 3
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Training Session 4
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Equity Team Reception
Sunday, November 22
8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
CTA Registration Desk
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Coffee & Tea Service
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Training Session 5
10:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Brunch & Closing Session Speaker - TBD
12:00 PM
Conference Concludes
Venue
Conference Hotel: Renaissance Palm Springs
- Address: 888 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
- Phone: 760-322-6000
- Group Rate: $192/night + tax
- Booking Deadline: Wednesday, November 4, 2026 (or until block sells out, availability is limited!)
- Parking: Discounted $20.00 Overnight Self-Parking. Complimentary Self Parking in Side/Overflow Lot.
Booking information will be provided during conference registration.
Fees
- CTA Members
- $215 – Early Bird until 9/30/2026
- $265 – Beginning on 10/1/2026
- Business Partners/Exhibitors
- $850 – Early Bird until 9/30/2026
- $1,000 – Beginning on 10/1/2026
Featured Presenters
David B. Goldberg
CTA President
An educator since 1997, CTA President David B. Goldberg has spent most of his career as a bilingual teacher at Murchison Elementary in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). In addition to English, he is fluent in both Spanish and American Sign Language.
Traveling to the Conference
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP): 2 Miles
Please consider using public transportation to travel to the conference. Please visit sunline.org for maps, schedules, fares, and more information.
Airfare Discount: United Airlines offers reduced rates for CTA members up to 10%. Please visit www.united.com from a desktop computer and enter the code ZRVW947785 under Upgrades, certificates, and promotion codes. This can be found by clicking Advanced Search under “Book”. Please check with the other airlines to ensure that you are getting the best rate.
Health & Safety Policy
The health and safety of attendees, exhibitors and staff are our highest priority. In partnership with hotels, CTA will adhere to all official government and local authority guidance, as well as any venue or location-specific regulations.
All attendees, staff, exhibitors, and invited guests are strongly encouraged to wear a mask on-site in event-designated programming areas. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test is not required to attend the event.
Click here to see CTA’s health and safety policies for in-person events.
Animal Accommodation Policy
The California Teachers Association (CTA) is committed to ensuring that all attendees of its conferences and meetings have equal access and opportunity to participate in these events. CTA recognizes that some attendees with disabilities may require the assistance of animals for various reasons. This document outlines the policy and procedures for reasonably accommodating disabled attendees who require the use of assistive animals at CTA conferences and other events. This policy also recognizes that for the health and safety of all attendees and to avoid disruptions at CTA conferences and meetings, pets are not permitted in conference and meeting spaces.
Please click HERE to view the full Animal Accommodation Policy.
Documents
Session documents will be available in the conference app and attendee hub closer to the start of the conference. You must be logged in to the Event App to view session documents. Provided documents can be found at the bottom of each session page within the Event App and Attendee Hub.
Credits
Professional Growth Hours: By attending this conference, you will earn 15 hours of Professional Development which can be used to claim (1) University Credit through our partner, CSU Chico. Conference attendance from start to finish is required to receive the Professional Growth Hours. After the conference, attendees will be emailed a certificate of Professional Growth Hours.
University Credit: The CTA University Credit Program is a benefit available to members who attend CTA Conferences or watch recorded sessions through the CTA Virtual Pass to Online Learning. Please visit www.CTA.org/Credit for all timelines and information on how to claim the credit.
Contact
Email: ccc@cta.org
Phone: 650-552-5355