Leadership Development
The Delta Leadership Institute, which is operated by the Delta Regional Authority, is designed to create a corps of leaders with a regional and national perspective. The first class of the institute met in 2005. The program was operated by the DRA in cooperation with Delta State University at Cleveland, Miss. In April 2006, the DRA board chose the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa to coordinate the Delta Leadership Institute.
Many of the 240 counties and parishes that make up the Delta region are characterized by high poverty, high unemployment levels, low educational attainment, a loss of skilled labor and a general lack of hope. Unable to establish development priorities, these counties and parishes have failed to keep up with counties and parishes in other areas of their states. Delta communities often lack the civic infrastructure, organizations and knowledge base necessary for sustained economic growth. Even those who are considered local leaders too often do not understand how good governance, quality infrastructure, adequate schools and quality health care services can work together to sustain growth.
These areas often are marked by a lack of investment in leadership development and strategic planning. This results in a leadership void and a lack of direction. Communities never decide on their priorities. With no leadership, vision or plans for growth, these communities continue to struggle.
The Delta Leadership Institute is designed to improve the decisions made by leaders across the region. Each of the eight governors and the federal co-chairman nominate four people per year for the program, resulting in a class of 36 Delta leaders. It is hoped that there will be a strong alumni organization. For example, after a dozen years, there would be a group of more than 400 Delta leaders with a regional perspective. These will be leaders who stay in touch with each other, sharing best practices and solutions to common problems.
It is expected that many of the graduates of the Delta Leadership Institute will go back to their communities and help lead local leadership programs, multiplying the number of people in the region who receive leadership training.
According to Dr. John L. Blackburn of the University of Alabama, an expert on leadership development: "A good community is comprised of more than one generation, embraces transcending values that esteem each citizen and creates a sense of oneness where individuals set aside personal gain, benefit or goals for the sake of the group." Please visit the Delta Leadership Institute website for more information.
Members of the 2007-08 class of the Delta Leadership Institute are:
Alabama
- Jessica Chestnut of Selma
- Mayor Sheldon Day of Thomasville
- Jessica Dent of Montgomery
- Rachael D. Green of Clanton
- Tammy Shannon Maul of Selma
Arkansas
- Kay Brockwell of Marion
- Rubye Graham-Emerson of McGehee
- Milton Ezell of Little Rock
- Jo Anne Smith of Monticello
- Christy Valentine of Jonesboro
Illinois
- Bill Bonan II of McLeansboro
- Tracey Glenn of Herrin
- John Gulley of Benton
- Angie Hampton of North Eldorado
Kentucky
- Michael Farris of Dixon
- Paul Monsour of Morganfield
- Vickie Viniard of Wickliffe
Louisiana
- Richard "Butch" Lindsay of Pineville
- Fred Reggie of Lafayette
- Miriam Wyatt Russell of Collinston
- Lewis "Skip" Smart III of Baton Rouge
- Heather Smoak Urena of Alexandria
Mississippi
- Ronald Earl of Clarksdale
- Lise Foy of Greenwood
- Carol Hardwick of Jackson
- Robert McCreary of Brookhaven
- Doreen Muzzi of Shaw
- Larry Williams of Greenville
Missouri
- David Madison of Caruthersville
- Mayor Diane Sayre of Caruthersville
- Warren Skinner of Cape Girardeau
- Marybeth Williams of Jackson
Tennessee
- Anne Banks of Brownsville
- Phyllis Black of Memphis
- Sylvia Mathis Palmer of Dyer County
- Rhea "Skip" Taylor of Somerville