On February 19-20, 2026, the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) hosted a Delta Regional Authority (DRA) PROPEL Community Convening in Sikeston, Missouri with support from a grant awarded by the DRA.
The DRA PROPEL Community Convening is part of NCRCRD’s two-year partnership with the Delta Regional Authority to assist five communities in southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois who participate in the DRA’s PROPEL Technical Assistance Initiative. The PROPEL Initiative aims to enhance economic development and community resilience by providing targeted support and resources to economically distressed communities in their service region. Support provided focuses on increasing the communities’ capacity and helping them alleviate challenges around issues such as public infrastructure and business development.
Delta Regional Authority PROPEL Community Convening planners and presenters (left to right): Shelly Surber, NCCRD, Lisa Odum, University of Illinois Extension, Michael Wilcox, NCRCRD, Taylor Clark, University of Missouri Extension, Mark White, University of Illinois Extension, Zachary Kennedy, University of Illinois Extension, Rob Russell, University of Missouri Extension, and Maria Marshall.
The DRA PROPEL Community Convening brought together stakeholders from the five communities NCRCRD is working with – Sikeston, MO; Poplar Bluff, MO; Eldorado, IL; Mounds, IL; and Murphysboro, IL– to share examples of what’s working in this region, to learn from each other, and to expand the tools the cities have to build their communities. Colleagues from Delta Regional Authority, University of Illinois Extension, and the University of Missouri Extension along with the NCRCRD conducted the convening.
NCRCRD would like to thank the following individuals who were instrumental in making the Convening a success: Taylor Clark, University of Missouri Extension, Zachary Kennedy, University of Illinois Extension, Susan Odum, University of Illinois Extension, Rob Russell, University of Missouri Extension, and Mark White, University of Illinois Extension. The NCRCRD team included Director, Maria Marshall, Associate Director, Michael Wilcox, and Senior Program Manager, Shelly Surber participated in the convening.