Lafayette, LA (December 11, 2025) – The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) has selected Chad M. LaComb, Director of the Office of Innovation Management at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL), as one of 33 community leaders from eight states to participate in the 2026 Delta Leadership Institute (DLI) Executive Academy – increasing the University’s resources and impact on Louisiana’s economic development.
The DRA was created to support economic development, infrastructure, workforce training, health, and overall regional well-being across the Lower Mississippi Delta and surrounding areas. Their DLI Executive Academy is a five-month, highly selective development program that brings together industry leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to learn from local, regional, and national experts on how to improve workforce and economic development across the Delta region.
LaComb’s selection into the DRA’s prestigious DLI Executive Academy, a program reserved for regional innovators committed to economic revitalization and community advancement, offers UL the opportunity to strengthen its influence at the Delta region’s highest levels of policymaking, infrastructure planning, and workforce development, which demonstrate UL’s continued commitment to statewide progress.
“It is an honor to be selected for the 2026 DLI Executive Academy,” says Chad LaComb. “I am eager to learn more about the successful policies and procedures being implemented across the Delta, and to incorporate these best practices in the Office of Innovation Management to continue creating a brighter future for Louisiana.”
LaComb’s appointment not only highlights UL’s growing leadership capacity but also reinforces its commitment to driving real impact for all those living and working across Louisiana.
About the Delta Regional Authority (DRA)
Established in 2000, the Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership dedicated to improving economic opportunity in the lower Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions. The DRA invests in transportation and basic public infrastructure, workforce development, business growth, and community revitalization across 255 counties and parishes in eight states.
More information about the DLI Executive Academy is available at www.dra.gov
About the Delta Leadership Institute (DLI)
DRA invests in regional leadership through its annual Delta Leadership Institute (DLI) Executive Academy. Fellows representing each of the eight DRA states are selected by the eight governors and the federal co-chairman from a competitive pool of applicants that represent both public and private sectors. During the nine-month executive leadership development program, six sessions are held in different cities throughout the eight-state region, which focus on areas such as transportation infrastructure, government relations, and regional collaboration.
Alumni of the DLI Executive Academy may continue their engagement with one another and support of the region through the Delta Leadership Network (DLN). DLN is more than 600 members strong.
About Chad LaComb
Chad LaComb is a regional leader in innovation, economic development, and community impact with more than a decade of experience advancing major initiatives across Acadiana and Louisiana. He currently serves as Director of UL Lafayette’s Office of Innovation Management, overseeing technology transfer, intellectual property, research commercialization, and industry partnerships. His career includes significant roles in regional planning, broadband expansion, brownfields redevelopment, and major economic development projects, earning multiple national awards for innovation and community impact.
You can contact Chad LaComb at chad.lacomb@louisiana.edu
About UL’s Office of Innovation Management
The Office of Innovation Management (OIM) focuses on technology collaboration, innovation, and commercialization. We enable potential partnerships between industry and the university’s various research institutes, centers, colleges, and departments. We also provide guidance to UL inventors on intellectual property protection, technology licensing, and/or the creation of start-up companies. And we encourage and broadcast learnings on innovation best practices from within the university and from external sources.
