Arkansas to send five to DRA’s leadership program

Arkansas is sending five people from the state to the Delta Regional Authority’s (DRA) Delta Leadership Institute (DLI).

They will join fellows from the seven other Delta states to participate in the 10-month DLI Executive Academy to help further their skills in community leadership, policy development, and regional collaboration to drive economic growth across the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions.

“The Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy is vital to the promotion of economic development in the Delta,” said Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “Each of the fellows chosen to represent Arkansas in the program are talented, hardworking individuals, and I am grateful for their dedication to the Delta as they develop skills and strategies to help grow economies throughout the region.”

The fellows will participate in the training program focused on developing competencies through site visits, best practice case studies, executive coaching and mentoring, and regional project development. The program consists of six multi-day seminars throughout the Delta culminating with a graduation in Memphis.

“DLI is providing the next generation of change agents with the skills and abilities to address some of the most pressing issues facing the Delta. I congratulate the Fellows on their selection,” said DRA Chairman Chris Caldwell. “The Delta needs bold individuals to develop and capitalize on the many opportunities available to the region and DLI provides these individuals with the skill set to do that.”

The program brings together representatives from the public, private, and non-profit sectors from across the eight-state Delta region. Arkansas’s 2019 – 2020 Delta Leadership Institute Fellows include:

Suzzette Goldmon, Monticello – Director of Hospitality and Tourism, University of Arkansas at Monticello

Andy Davis, Little Rock – Principal/Owner, New Water Systems, LLC

Gene White, Pine Bluff – Director of Retention and Advising, Southeast Arkansas College

Samantha Montgomery, Little Rock – Digital Coordinator, The Office of Attorney General

Susan Edwards, Little Rock – Executive Assistant to the Federal Co-Chairman, Delta Regional Authority

Upon graduation, Delta Leadership Institute Fellows will become members of the Delta Leadership Network, a peer-driven working group foster regional collaboration, resource sharing, and continued education to support addressing the Delta’s most pressing issues.

Since 2005, DLI’s Executive Academy has enhanced the leadership skills, policy knowledge and networks of community members in the Delta region. DLI is a program of DRA in partnership with four institutions of higher education in the Delta region: The University of Alabama, The University of Arkansas, Arkansas State University-Jonesboro and the University of Louisiana-Monroe.