The Advanced Leadership Institute and Carnegie Mellon University Celebrate the 2023 Graduating Cohort of the Emerging Leaders Program

PITTSBURGH , April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — On Friday, April 21, 2023, The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI) and Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business (CMU) will present the second graduating class of the Emerging Leaders Program. Upon completing the program, these twenty-six high achieving Black leaders will have obtained professional skills that help to position them to make a positive impact in their workplaces and communities. The Emerging Leaders Program provides training on a variety of topics that impact rising Black professionals, covering topics such as executive presence, managerial effectiveness, negotiation strategies, and organizational culture. TALI’s Emerging Leaders Program is delivered in partnership with CMU. Additionally, Duquesne University, Robert Morris University, and The University of Pittsburgh collaborate with TALI and CMU by providing top faculty for the program.

TALI Executive Leadership Academy 2019 alumna Steffanie Jasper, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management at PNC, will deliver the keynote address. Mayor Ed Gainey will offer special remarks, along with TALI Board Chair Lara Washington, President and CEO, Allegheny Housing Rehabilitation Corporation. The broader TALI family looks forward to celebrating alongside the graduates. 

“As always, this year’s Emerging Leaders Program graduates are quite impressive,” says Evan Frazier, President & CEO, The Advanced Leadership Institute. “They represent some of the region’s top rising leaders and demonstrate that there is strong diverse talent in our companies and institutions.”

“We are proud to partner with TALI to deliver another year of the Emerging Leaders Program,” says Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, Dean and Richard P. Simmons Professor of Finance, Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business. “I am confident that the training, mentoring, and peer networking opportunities that the program has provided will help these individuals in their professional journey. Congratulations to all 26 graduates!”

The Emerging Leaders Program compliments TALI’s flagship program, known as the Executive Leadership Academy, which is celebrating its fifth year. The Emerging Leaders Program is focused on the professional development of individual contributors and early managers, while the Executive Leadership Academy focuses on advancing senior-level managers and executives. Together, both programs help to educate, develop, connect, and position Black leaders for professional advancement. Post-graduation, the 2023 Emerging Leaders Program participants will have ongoing access to a large and strong TALI alumni network and executive development programming.

Congratulations to the Emerging Leaders Program 2023 graduates!

Darla Brown– Manager, Patient Experience, Allegheny Health Network
Quinten Brown– Executive Administrator, Carnegie Mellon University, Office of the Provost
Ebonie Chestnut- Manufacturing Cost Analyst, Wabtec Corporation
Arthur Chileshe– Distribution Engineering Manager, Duquesne Light Company
John Cunningham– Internal Business System Consultant, Highmark Health
Courtney Davenport– Senior Analyst / Community Impact Program Administrator, BNY Mellon
LaNee Davis– Procurement Manager, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh
Denise Hughes– Senior Manager, Public Relations, UPMC
Miguelina Javier– SR Analyst- International Support, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Sharlene Lewis– Process Chemistry Expert, Covestro LLC
Juanita Lomax– Enterprise Change Delivery, Readiness and Change Consultant, Highmark Inc.
Tami Mack– Assistant General Counsel – Innovation and Business Development, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Derrick L. Maultsby Jr., Esq.– Senior Associate Attorney, Frost Brown Todd LLC
Jordon McMichael– Branch and Business Center Manager, PNC
Ariel Meadows– Senior Credit Analyst, Bridgeway Capital
BreAnne Middleton– Human Resources Business Partner II, Giant Eagle
Babatunde (Tunde) Ogunjobi– Lead Geoscientist, CNX Resources
Oluwaropo (Abbey) Omodunbi- Senior Economist, PNC Financial Services
Audia Robinson– Operational Support Analyst, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh
LaToya Sawyer-Ndizeye– Counsel, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Veronique Scullion– Financial Advisor, Northwestern Mutual
Shana Shields– User Experience Designer, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Monique Smith– Faculty Affairs Manager, The University of Pittsburgh
Ashten Walker– Executive Store Leader, Giant Eagle
LaNita Whittle, PMP- Manager, Aerospace Project Management Office, PPG
Eria Young– Accounting and Administrative Manager, Koppers

About The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI)
The mission of The Advanced Leadership Institute is to cultivate Black executive leadership to strengthen companies, institutions, and communities. Its primary focus is to educate, develop, connect, and position Black leaders for executive advancement. TALI has a portfolio of leadership programs, which include the Executive Leadership Academy (a program for Black leaders with at least 10 years of work experience in corporate, nonprofit, government or entrepreneurial sectors); an Emerging Leaders Program (addressing the needs of Black leaders with a minimum of 3-5 years of professional work experience); and ongoing programming and support for TALI alumni.

The Advanced Leadership Institute is supported by major corporations and foundations in the Pittsburgh region, including Founding Underwriters: BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Highmark Foundation, and Richard King Mellon Foundation; Excellence Partners: Henry L. Hillman Foundation and Highmark; Lead Contributors: BNY Mellon, Eden Hall Foundation, and The Heinz Endowments. Presenting Sponsors: FHLBank Pittsburgh, Giant Eagle, Highmark Health, PNC, and UPMC. Gold Sponsors: American Eagle Outfitters, Bank of America, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, CNX, Covestro, Duquesne Light Company, Dollar Bank, Erie Insurance, Koppers, The Pittsburgh Foundation, Pittsburgh Penguins, PPG, and Wabtec Corporation; Silver Sponsor: Highmark Wholecare, Northwestern Mutual and Pittsburgh Legal Diversity and Inclusion Coalition; and Bronze Sponsors, which can be found on TALI’s website.

To learn more about The Advanced Leadership Institute, visit www.taliinstitute.org

SOURCE The Advanced Leadership Initiative