Delta Regional Authority (DRA) announced Dr. Corey Wiggins has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as DRA Federal Co-Chairman. Nominated by President Biden on December 15, 2021, Wiggins becomes the fifth DRA Federal Co-Chairman to serve in the position.
A native of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Chairman Wiggins brings a diverse set of career experiences that include working in academia, state government, nonprofit, and private sectors. He has focused on creating equitable opportunities through systems and public policy change.
"I am grateful to President Biden for the opportunity to lead the Delta Regional Authority at this critical time in our country," said DRA Federal Co-Chairman Corey Wiggins. "throughout my career, I have been driven by a mission of service with an emphasis on creating equitable opportunity. I look forward to working with the communities across 252 countries and parishes served by the Delta Regional Authority to focus on solutions that will improve quality of life in the region."
Chairman Wiggins most recently served as the Executive Director of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Policy at Hope Enterprise Corporation and Hope Credit Union. He also served as Executive Director of the Mississippi Economic Policy Center and as Director of the Hope Policy Institute, where he focused on strengthening communities, building assets, and improving lives in economically distressed parts of the MidSouth.
In addition, Wiggins served as a Barbara Jordan Health Policy Fellow in the United States Senate and as a policy analyst for the Mississippi Legislature Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER.) Committee. Wiggins also held the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at Jackson State University.
Chairman Wiggins completed his undergraduate studies with a B.S. in Biology from Alcorn State University. He received an M.S. in Public Health with an emphasis in Health Policy and a Ph.D. in Health Promotion and Health Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Additionally, he has a certificate of nonprofit leadership from Boston College and has furthered his training through fellowships with the Kaiser Family Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Wiggins steps in the vacant position previously held by President trump appointee Chris Caldwell, who resigned on January 20, 2020. Leslie Durham currently serves as DRA Alternate Federal CO-Chairwoman.
Chairman Wiggins and his wife Dr. Shenekia Wiggins currently live in Mississippi with their three sons.
About the Delta Regional Authority
Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is a federal-state partnership created by Congress in 2000 to promote and encourage the economic development of the lower Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black belt. DRA invests in projects supporting transportation infrastructure, basic public infrastructure, workforce training, and business development. DRA's mission is to help create jobs, build communities, and improve the lives of those who reside in the 252 countries and parishes of the eight-state region.