Mayor William D. Rawls, Jr. elected to Delta Leadership Network Advisory Council

CLARKSDALE, Miss. —

The Delta Leadership Network (DLN) held an orientation for new members of its 2017-18 advisory council, including William D. Rawls, Jr. of Brownsville representing Haywood County of Tennessee.

DLN provides graduates of the annual Delta Leadership Institute’s Executive Academy with opportunities to engage in continued learning, information sharing, and collaboration at regional levels within their state and across the Delta region. The Advisory Council promotes collaborative projects and networking that help alumnisupport community andeconomicdevelopment projects that will help create and retain jobs, build local communities, and improve lives.

“Mayor Rawls is an outstanding leader who contributes a great deal to the growth and development of West Tennessee and the Delta region,” said DRA Chairman Chris Masingill. “I look forward to working with this incredibly accomplished set of Delta leaders to improve the capacity of our local leadership.”

The advisory council also helps to plan DLN’s annual conference, which brings together more than 200 alumni to discuss policy areas important to the region’s success and learn about new models for community improvement. Mayor Rawls was elected by their fellow DLN members in Tennessee and confirmed by Delta Regional Authority leadership to serve a one-year term.

“We must be the change we want to see in our communities, we must move forward together to turn the challenges into opportunities I am honored to serve in this role as a change agent for the Delta Region.”

About the Delta Leadership Institute
The Delta Leadership Institute is a program of the Delta Regional Authority in partnership with the University of Alabama, Arkansas State University, and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Through its Executive Academy, DLI has provided leadership development to 500 community leaders over twelve years and strengthened skills development, information sharing, and regional collaboration. DLI maintains an environment for continued education and engagement for its alumni through the Delta Leadership Network. Learn more at dra.gov/leadership.

About DRA
The Delta Regional Authority 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. To date, the DRA’s SEDAP investments, together with its state and local partners, have leveraged federal resources into nearly $3.5 billion in public and private investment into local small business owners, entrepreneurs, workforce improvement, and infrastructure development projects. DRA investments have helped to create and retain more than 37,000 jobs, train more than 7,300 workers for 21st Century jobs, and deliver water and sewer improvements to more than 66,000 residents. Learn more at dra.gov.