The application period has opened for the Delta Leadership Institute’s Executive Academy. It’s a one-year program designed to improve the leadership skills of community-minded decision makers who live in the eight-state Delta region. The program is put on by the Delta Regional Authority. DRA federal co-chairman Chris Masingill said he has about 40 spots to fill, and participants will meet face-to-face during the program in select locations in the Delta, including New Orleans.
“We go throughout the region seven different times. We even go up to Washington, D.C., and spend some time meeting with our members of Congress and federal agencies to make sure that we learn how that process works, and how we can access programs and resources that come back to the region," Masingill said.
The program is underwritten by the DRA. Masingill said he works with the governors of the Delta states to decide who is accepted into the Leadership Institute. He said these movers and shakers explore ways to expand economic development by thinking regionally.
“The reality is, we share a lot of the same issues. We share a lot of the same dynamics, and we share a lot of the same potential when it comes to finding solutions for the issues we face in the Delta region," Masingill said.
The opening session of the DRA's Executive Academy is Nov. 4-7 in Oxford, Miss. The application period closes on Sept. 20.
