Rolling Up Our Sleeves in Detroit: Recapping the 2026 Repurchase Obligation Workshop
Nobody came to Detroit to sit back and listen. When NCEO members from across the country filed into the 2026 Repurchase Obligation Workshop, presented in partnership with Chartwell Financial Advisory, they brought their distribution policies, their plan documents, and a stack of questions they'd been saving up. For two days, the room worked.
Repurchase obligation is one of the biggest challenges ESOP finance professionals face, and this group treated the workshop like the rare opportunity it was: a dedicated block of time, the right experts in the room, and peers who understand exactly what's at stake.
This workshop exists because our members asked for it. Many attendees are active in the Finance Working Group, part of the NCEO's peer networking programming, and they told us they wanted to go deeper on repurchase obligation than our Annual Conference and Forum sessions allow. They wanted case studies, hands-on activities, and time to actually dig in.
So, we listened. This was the workshop's second year, and we took everything we learned in 2025 and rebuilt it. The 2026 edition grew into two full days of robust learning and discussion.
The room was energized from the first session to the last. Every session ended with dedicated time for discussion and Q&A, and attendees used every minute of it. Speakers shared their expertise, attendees pressure-tested ideas against their own companies, and conversations spilled into the breaks and lunch roundtables.
One theme came up again and again: the value of stepping back to set a bigger-picture strategy. As one attendee put it:
"I really liked the suggestion of setting overall goals for your ESOP to help mold your distribution strategy. I had not thought of it in that way before."
For others, the workshop made a daunting change feel more manageable:
"I think this workshop will really help with introducing the idea of having an overarching philosophy behind the distribution policy and reduce nervousness about changing the distribution policy."
The room also included companies at the very beginning of their ESOP journey, and they found plenty to take home:
"Since we are new to all things ESOP, this was an excellent introduction to the repurchase agreement complexities. The presenters were very knowledgeable with real-world examples."
The workshop wrapped with our “Expert Panel: Implementation Roadmap,” bringing every speaker to the stage at once. Attendees fired off their remaining questions, and the panel expanded on the topics they had each presented. It was the perfect way to tie two days of learning together and send everyone home with a clear path forward.
A huge thank-you to Chartwell Financial Advisory, our Presenting Sponsor. Chartwell's partnership was instrumental in shaping this year's content and in brainstorming how to make the workshop bigger and better for 2026. We couldn't have done it without them.
We're also deeply grateful to our speakers, who generously dedicated their time and expertise:
- Tina Langlois, Chartwell Financial Advisory
- Ashleigh Newlin, Chartwell Financial Advisory
- Ryan Graham, Chartwell Financial Advisory
- Allison Wilkerson, McDermott Will & Schulte LLP
- Jenny Mosh, Polsinelli
- Kristin Steinhauser, Blue Ridge Associates
- Joe Marx, Principal
- Tracy Woolsey, GreatBanc Trust Company
And of course, thank you to every attendee who showed up ready to work. You made the room what it was.
What’s Next for 2027?
We're not slowing down. In 2027, the Repurchase Obligation Workshop gets reimagined once again, this time as a two-and-a-half-day workshop held as part of the 2027 NCEO Forum in Austin, Texas, on August 25–27.
More time, more depth, and the full Forum experience around it. Bring your documents and your questions. Stay tuned for more details!