The 2020 - 2021 Executive Academy will meet six times throughout the course of the program year. The dates below represent the week the session will be held, but the class will only meet 3-4 days during that week, with exact dates to be confirmed upon acceptance into program.

Session I: Orientation
January 24 - 27, 2022 | Selma, Alabama;
(Travel day: January 24 and convene at 2:00pm)

Session II
March 7 - 10, 2022 | Cleveland, Mississippi
(Travel day: March 7; Convene morning of March 8)

Session III
April 25-28, 2022 | New Orleans, Louisiana
(Travel day: April 25; Convene morning of April 26)

Session IV: Policy & Advocacy
June 13-16, 2022 | Washington, D.C
(Travel day: June 12 or 13; Convene at 2:00pm on June 13)

Session V
July 25-28, 2022 | Carbondale, Illinois
(Travel day: July 25; Convene morning of July 26)

Session VI: Graduation
September 12-15, 2022 | Memphis, Tennessee
(Travel day: September 12 and convene at 2:00pm)

The 2022 Executive Academy Fellows will attend six sessions across the Delta region to engage in advocacy training, case study discussion, and on-the-ground field experiences that highlight strategies for improving priority issue areas for the region, including workforce training and education, small business and entrepreneurship, public health, transportation, and infrastructure.

Session I: Orientation
January 24 - 27, 2022 | Selma, Alabama;
(Travel day: January 24 and convene at 2:00pm)

Session II
March 7 - 10, 2022 | Cleveland, Mississippi
(Travel day: March 7; Convene morning of March 8)

Session III
April 25-28, 2022 | New Orleans, Louisiana
(Travel day: April 25; Convene morning of April 26)

Session IV: Policy & Advocacy
June 13-16, 2022 | Washington, D.C
(Travel day: June 12 or 13; Convene at 2:00pm on June 13)

Session V
July 25-28, 2022 | Carbondale, Illinois
(Travel day: July 25; Convene morning of July 26)

Session VI: Graduation
September 12-15, 2022 | Memphis, Tennessee
(Travel day: September 12 and convene at 2:00pm)

• The Orientation, Washington, D.C. and Graduation sessions will begin at 2:00pm on the first day, which is also the travel day. The fourth day will adjourn no later than 12:00pm so that Fellows can travel home in the afternoon.
• The remaining three sessions will convene the morning of the day after the travel day and adjourn the final day no later than 12:00pm. For example, in Cleveland in March, the travel day is Monday, March 7th and the session will convene the following morning and go through Thursday, with adjournment no later than 12:00pm.

• Since 2005, the DRA’s Delta Leadership Institute (DLI) has worked to improve the decisions made by community leaders across the Delta by broadening their understanding of regional issues, building a corps of alumni that have a regional and national perspective, developing a toolkit of resources for addressing issues facing their local communities, and providing the training and professional development needed to extend the pipeline of skilled local leadership within our Delta communities.

• The Executive Academy program requires no registration fee for leadership fellows selected to participate. DLI covers lodging, program materials, and breakfast and lunch during the session dates. Most dinners will be on your own and at the participant's expense, unless there is a special reception or event scheduled.
• Additionally, travel to and from the sessions is the responsibility of the leadership fellow. DLI does provide up to $1,000 for reimbursed travel expenses to each fellow for one of the six sessions (it is recommended that this be used to help with costs for the session furthest away from fellow's home). These travel expenses to be reimbursed can include air travel, mileage from the fellow's home to the session location, or another form of transportation. Fellows from the same state are encouraged to carpool with each other to both reduce travel costs and foster relationship building that is of the utmost importance to the DLI Executive Academy experience.

• The 2022 Executive Academy orientation session will be held in Selma, Alabama January 24-27, 2022. Attending the Orientation is mandatory for participation in the Executive Academy. If you cannot attend the Orientation session, you should wait to apply in future program years.

• The 2022 Executive Academy graduation will be held in Memphis, TN September 12-15, 2022.

• Part of the DLI curriculum is the “DLI Book Club” and reading the selected books between session is critical to fully participate in the discussion. Additionally, some Fellows will be called upon to present to a subset of their classmates during the consultancy protocol exercise portion of the curriculum. The exercise is designed to simulate presenting a proposal before a group of consultants, a governmental entity, or the general public.
• There will be some necessary work between sessions in the planning and development of our project for the Delta Regional Innovator Certificate.

• Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy Attendance Policy: To be eligible for graduation from the Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy, attendance is required at all scheduled Institute sessions. Missing program sessions, including portions of sessions, can jeopardize a participant's graduation status.
• As stated, attendance is mandatory at all Executive Academy sessions. However, we understand that participants of the Institute face many demands. Therefore, necessary absences for professional or personal reasons will be addressed by the Program Manager on a case-by-case basis.
• Please Note: The entire orientation session is mandatory and no portion of this session may be missed. If the applicant has a conflict with the orientation dates, we ask that you wait until a future year to apply.

• Participants each year are selected by the applicants' state Governor or the DRA Federal Co-Chairman. Your governor and DRA leadership will evaluate applications and make selections based on the completed applications submitted by the application deadline of September 30, 2021, at 11:59pm CT.
• Once applicants have created a profile online at https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=dra , there is an application form with biographical and contact information, short answer questions and a tool where each applicant must upload letters of recommendation and a resume.

• Letters can either be addressed to your Governor's Office or the Federal Co-Chairman who make the selections each year, but each recommendation letter must be uploaded to the application form as a PDF in order to submit a complete application.

• Applicants must live or work in one of the 252 counties and parishes of the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt region, as designated by Congress. You can view a map and list of these counties here.
• As an executive academy, DLI staff is looking for applicants that serve in traditional and non-traditional leadership roles in their organization, company, and/or community. It is expected that DLI fellows have previously worked on community-based projects that support economic and community development efforts on the local, regional, or state level.

• Thursday, September 30, 2021, at 11:59pm Central Time.

• We expect to notify all applicants whether they are selected for the 2022 Executive Academy the week of October 25, 2021. If this should change, you will receive an email from DRA with the updated timeline.

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