Delta Regional Authority
Jessica Shappley is an accomplished policy and communications professional with extensive experience in community and economic development, financial services, and health care. Currently serving as the Chief Policy & Communications Officer at Delta Regional Authority since March 2023, Shappley previously held key roles including Director of Communications at the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service and Vice President at Hope Policy Institute, where responsibilities included managing social policy research and advocating for underserved communities in the Deep South. Shappley also has a strong background in research and analysis, having served as Senior Policy Analyst and Policy Analyst at the Hope Policy Institute and Mississippi Economic Policy Center, respectively. Jessica Shappley holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration with a health policy emphasis and dual Bachelor's Degrees in Communication and English Language and Literature from Mississippi State University.
Delta Regional Authority
The DRA was established in 2000 as a formal framework for joint Federal-State collaboration to promote and encourage the economic development of the lower Mississippi River and Alabama Black Belt regions. To fulfill this purpose, DRA invests in projects supporting transportation infrastructure, basic public infrastructure, workforce training, and business development. DRA works to create jobs, build communities, and improve the lives of those that reside in the region. DRA’s region encompasses 252 counties and parishes in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. DRA’s enabling legislation dictates that at least 75% of DRA’s funds must be invested in economically distressed counties and parishes and isolated areas within non-distressed counties and parishes. In addition, half of DRA’s funds must support transportation infrastructure and basic public infrastructure.