Higher ground for the leaders who hold the line.
CIO Ascent is a public-benefit outdoors community for technology leaders, built around real friendships, time in the wild, and the kind of trust that does not come from name tags or panel discussions.
It started with a text.
Nine months before the second gathering, one CISO sent the other a single message describing something that did not yet exist anywhere for CISOs. He pictured a public benefit community built in national parks, rooted in real friendships, made for the people quietly carrying the weight of protecting everyone else.
The same night, the work began. One vision, one decision to put it into motion.
What followed became CISO Ascent. A place where the leaders who guard everyone else could finally exhale among people who understood.
In April 2026, the idea grew. CIO Ascent began, carrying the same belief into a new circle of leaders.
A safe place for leaders.
The CIO role is one of the heaviest seats in modern business. Quiet weight. Constant pressure. Few who truly understand it.
CIO Ascent is one of the few places technology executives can let their guard down.
We take CIOs into National Parks. We design for friendships and recovery. People above profit. The outcome is a space where CIOs can actually exhale, speak honestly, and step far enough away from the role to come back sharper.
Built for the people who carry the weight.
People above profit
A public benefit community. No sales pitch, no vendor pipeline, no pay-to-play.
Wild by design
National Parks are the venue. Trails, quiet mornings, and campfires do work a ballroom never could.
Real friendships
Small circles, unhurried time, and conversations that stay off the record and on the trail.
Give back
We support the parks that host us, so the places that heal us keep standing for the next crew.
If the mountain calls, answer it.
CIO Ascent gathers sitting CIOs of large organizations. Applications are read personally.