WASHINGTON — Members of the Delta Leadership Institute’s Executive Academy, selected by Gov. Bobby Jindal and DRA Federal Co-Chairman Chris Masingill, met this month with their congressional delegation and federal officials in Washington, DC, to talk about issues affecting the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions, including creating good-paying jobs, growing small businesses and entrepreneurs, and training a skilled workforce.

Those who attended included Vidalia Marketing Director Sheri Rabb and Jonesville Mayor Hiram Evans.

Participants were in Washington for the fifth session of the DLI Executive Academy, a year-long program for community leaders across the Delta that teaches leadership skills and prepares fellows to collaborate across state and local borders to address the most-pressing challenges of the region. This is the tenth class of the DLI Executive Academy.

The meetings also allow these Delta leaders to interact directly with their congressional representation and discuss the policies and resources that they see as being most important to the region’s economic success, such as workforce development, access to healthcare, and small business development.