MARION – Two area community leaders are among 33 selected from across the Delta Regional Authority’s eight-state service region to participate in the 2026 Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy.

They are Linda Flowers, who serves as the Branch President for the NAACP-Carbondale Branch and Nicolas Holdinghausen, Regional Development and Marketing Coordinator with Southern Illinois Now in Marion.

The academy is an extensive leadership development program bringing individuals together from the public, private and nonprofit sectors in the lower Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions.

Those selected were chosen through a competitive application process led by DRA’s Board of Governors and federal co-chairman.

To learn more go to dra.gov.