Four from Southern Illinois complete leadership program

Fifty community leaders have successfully completed the year-long Delta Leadership Institute, DLI, Executive Academy, a program of the Delta Regional Authority, DRA.

Four of those who completed the program are from Southern Illinois.

The Executive Academy is a training program that brings together business and community leaders from each of the eight states of the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions.

The academy presents a collaborative leadership development experience which emphasizes regional approaches to growing local economies and creating opportunities for the people of the Delta region. Each graduate completed leadership development coursework and field studies in the year-long program that included five sessions in Delta communities and one session in Washington, D.C.

Four DLI fellows, nominated by Gov. Bruce Rauner and DRA federal co-chairman Chris Masingill, represented the State of Illinois this year, including Emily Burke of Murphysboro, Steven Mitchell of Marion, Jennifer Olson of Carterville and Diane Regan of Carbondale.

“For our communities to grow and support strong economies that create opportunities for Delta residents, we need local leaders that understand the local and regional challenges that we face as well as the networks and resources that can help identify solutions and address these challenges,” Masingill said in a news release.

“The Delta Leadership Institute’s dynamic programming and ever-growing alumni network are helping to meet this need and empower our region’s leaders to make the Delta a better place to live and work.”

In addition to the program certificate, participants graduate with an industry-recognized certification in Crucial Conversations.

“The Delta region is an important element to Illinois’ overall economy,” Gov. Rauner said. “The Illinois Delta Leadership Institute fellows have shown themselves to be strong leaders and advocates for their communities and the state. Through the training they’ve received and the relationships they’ve built with other leaders from across the Delta region, they now have additional tools to drive workforce development and economic growth within their communities.”

The DRA is a federal-state partnership created by Congress in 2000 to help create jobs, build communities, and improve lives through strategic investments in economic development in 252 counties and parishes across eight states.