Clarksdale, MS – Delta Regional Authority (DRA) has selected 29 community leaders from Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee as fellows of the 2024 Delta Leadership Institute (DLI) Executive Academy, an extensive nine-month leadership development program that brings together public, private, and nonprofit sector leaders from the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions. The 2024 DLI Executive Academy fellows were selected through a competitive application process led by DRA’s eight state governors and DRA’s federal co-chairman.
“The Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy is an essential instrument for nurturing community placemaking and capacity building in the Delta region,” said Federal Co-Chairman Dr. Corey Wiggins. “This program will give this dedicated and diverse group of leaders the tools they need to drive change within and outside their communities and accelerate prosperity across the region.”
Since 2005, the DLI Executive Academy has provided leadership development to more than 700 community leaders from diverse backgrounds, sectors, and industries to improve economic competitiveness and social viability throughout the Delta region. DRA created the program to empower a corps of leaders with the tools, experiences, and networks to address local and regional economic development challenges.
The fellows will participate in six in-person sessions led by local, regional, and national experts and cover policy areas and skills related to public infrastructure, regional transportation systems, workforce development, coalition-building, and other fields necessary to facilitate economic development in the Delta. As a result, DLI Executive Academy fellows graduate with enhanced decision-making skills, policy development know-how, strengthened leadership capacity, and a mutual understanding of regional, state, and local culture and issues.
The 2024 DLI Executive Academy fellows are:
Alabama
Albert Turner, President-CEO, Emerson Company
Terrence Windham, Mayor, City of Aliceville, AL
Warren “Billy” Young, Assistant Attorney General, Alabama Department of Revenue; President, Selma City Council
Arkansas
Tomeka Butler, Mayor, City of Eudora, AR
Jennifer Hobbs, Mayor, City of Wayne, AR
Yancey Kyle, Field Representative, Office of U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman
Dr. Karen Powers-Liebhaber, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Black River Technical College Foundation, Black River Technical College
Jamie R. Wright, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Alliance for Rural Impact
Illinois
Jennifer Huson, County Administrator, Jackson County, IL
Veronica McCurdy, Board Member, Village of Tamms, IL
Lee Messersmith, Mayor, City of Benton, IL
Kentucky
Whitney Walker, Director of Sales and Marketing, Paducah-McCracken County Convention and Expo Center
Mark Welch, President, Fulton-Hickman Counties Economic Development Partnership
Louisiana
Evan Boudreaux, Director of Economic Development, Policy and Public Affairs, St. Mary Parish Government, Office of Economic Development
Roderick Hampton, Mayor, Town of Haynesville, LA
Meaghan McCormack, Chief Executive Officer, St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation
Meghan Risinger, Executive Grant Writer, City of Monroe, LA
Clarence Vappie, Mayor, City of Baldwin, LA
Missouri
Amy Baugus, Project Officer, Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission
Jake Crafton, Mayor, City of Kennett, MO
Nichole Zielke, Senior Community Development Specialist, Meramec Regional Planning Commission
Mississippi
Thomas Gregory, Executive Director, Mississippi Main Street Association
Marvin Jones, Circuit Clerk and County Registrar, Humphreys County, MS, effective January 1, 2024
Danielle Morgan, Executive Director, Mississippi Tourism Association
Nichole Rosebud, Mayor, City of Tutwiler, MS
Tennessee
Shannon Haynes, Chief Prosperity Officer, Ayers Foundation
Cheryl Green, Director, Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship, The Aspen Institute
Janna Hellums, Northwest Tennessee Regional Director, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
Alisha Montgomery Melton, Executive Director of Research, Outreach, and Economic Development, University of Tennessee at Martin
Additional information about DRA’s DLI Executive Academy is available at Delta Leadership Institute – Delta Regional Authority(dra.gov).
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