Dr. Corey Wiggins was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden on December 15, 2021, to serve as the fourth Federal Co-Chairman of the Delta Regional Authority; and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on March 11, 2022.
A native of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Chairman Wiggins brings a diverse set of career experiences that include working in academia, state government, nonprofit, and private sectors. He has focused on creating equitable opportunities through systems and public policy change.
Growing up in rural Mississippi, Dr. Corey Wiggins is driven by a mission to serve the community. This mission has served as a guiding principle as Executive Director of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. Over his diverse career, Dr. Wiggins has focused on creating equitable opportunities. Previously, Dr. Wiggins served as Senior Vice President of Policy at Hope Enterprise Corporation and Hope Credit Union. He also served as Director of the Hope Policy Institute, where he focused on strengthening communities, building assets, and improving lives in economically distressed parts of the Mid-South. He has served as a public policy professional as a Barbara Jordan Health Policy Fellow in the United States Senate, and as a policy analyst for the Mississippi State Legislature. Dr. Wiggins has also held the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at Jackson State University.
Dr. Wiggins completed his undergraduate studies at Alcorn State University. He received a Master of Science in Public Health with an emphasis in Health Policy and a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Additionally, he has a certificate of nonprofit leadership from Boston College. Dr. Wiggins has also furthered his training through fellowships with the Kaiser Family Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).