DRIVE Advances as a Finalist for UEDA Awards of Excellence

Celebrating innovation and community impact, national recognition highlights DRIVE’s role in advancing community-driven economic development and fostering resilient regional growth

Delta Revitalization through Innovation, Vision, and Empowerment (DRIVE) has been named a finalist in the Engaged University category for the 2025 University Economic Development Association (UEDA) Awards of Excellence. This national recognition highlights DRIVE’s achievements in advancing economic development and its leadership in building strong connections across talent, innovation, and place.

The Engaged University category honors initiatives that effectively link higher education institutions with community partners to strengthen regional economies. “We are honored and humbled to be selected as finalists,” said Dr. Adrienne Cooper, Director of DRIVE. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work of our team and the commitment of our community partners.”

UEDA is a leading network for higher education-based economic development, fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and best practices among universities, colleges, and innovation leaders. DRIVE’s selection as a finalist underscores its commitment to sustainable, community-driven growth and positions it as a national model for economic engagement. Winners will be announced following finalist presentations at the annual UEDA Summit.

For more information on this initiative, contact Cooper at tcoper13@memphis.edu.