‘Representing Black excellence’…Latest cohort graduates from ‘Executive Leadership Academy’

THE ADVANCED LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE’S 2022 COHORT GRADUATING CLASS OF THE “EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY.” IT’S THE PROGRAM’S FOURTH COHORT. 

Watch out, Pittsburgh.

The Advanced Leadership Institute just graduated another cohort of African Americans from its highly-acclaimed “Executive Leadership Academy” program.

Which means that as you look to your left, right, up or down, there could be another African American in Pittsburgh ready to take over.

“It’s not only exciting, but it’s actually inspirational to see the level of Black leadership we have in Pittsburgh,” expressed a joyous Evan Frazier, the president and CEO of TALI.

On July 22, at the Carnegie Mellon University Tepper Business School, 25 African Americans graduated from a seven-month program which included more than 100 hours of instruction from renowned academic and industry experts, professional coaching, and executive mentoring. It’s all in an effort to prepare Blacks who are currently in mid-level management positions for executive positions within a company or organization, known as the “C-Suite.”

Those 25 latest graduates now makes it 104 total graduates of the Executive Leadership Program since the first cohort graduated in 2019.

“What we’re finding is that the bond that is created with this group (Pittsburgh, TALI, CMU) is very powerful, and the graduating cohort, they represent Black excellence,” Frazier told the New Pittsburgh Courier, Sept. 15. “…It just really represents a real strength for Pittsburgh, and this group is not only again having an impact in their individual organizations, but the collective impact and the social connection and bonds that have been created have been really powerful.”

The fourth cohort of TALI’s Executive Leadership Academy, from July 22; The women—Left-Right Back Row: Karen P. Weiss, Tenecia Ross, Kuyba Washington, Ronelle Robinson, Caren Caldwell, Holly Cundieff, Traci Jackson, Alaine Allen, Dr. Tammi McMillan Marshall, Reneé M. Richardson. Left-Right Front Row: Cynthia Lester-Moody, Yarra Howze, Tija R. Hilton Phillips, Melissa Wade, Angela Williams, Chatón Turner, Ida Luchey-Ballard

Cohort graduate Traci Jackson doubled down on Frazier’s comment pertaining to the social connections being made. She told the Courier she felt it was the most valuable part of the program.

“Although we’re very close (in Pittsburgh), you don’t always stumble across those folks,” she said, “so it’s nice to have that network of people who you maybe didn’t even know existed or didn’t know how to get in contact with, until you got into that cohort. So now I have 20 other peers who I can ask questions to, learn from and talk about my experience as a leader in my organization.”

Jackson is in her second year as Contact Center Director for Duquesne Light Company. She oversees 139 people who work in customer service, business-to-business and other facets. Her department is the “front door of the company,” she said.

Being part of the cohort has opened her eyes to the possibility of moving up even higher at Duquesne Light or another company in the future, Jackson added.

The other cohort graduates are: Alaine Allen, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Distinguished Service Professor; Engineering and Public Policy; Carnegie Mellon University, College of Engineering; Caren Caldwell, Associate Vice President, Government Products, UPMC Health Plan; Holly Cundieff, Vice President Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, ARMADA; Clark Delanois, Managing Director, Head of Credit; Risk- Private Banking, BNY Mellon; Justin Denham, Director, Information Security & Business Resiliency, Highmark Wholecare; Tija Hilton-Phillips, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Highmark Inc.; Yarra Howze, Principal, Pittsburgh Public Schools; Darryl Jones, Chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, City of Pittsburgh; Cynthia Lester-Moody, Director, Operations Delivery and Efficiency, United Concordia Dental; Lee Lewis, Jr., Director, Supplier Diversity & Inclusion, Highmark Health; Ida Luchey-Ballard, Chemical Plant Manager; Koppers Performance Chemical Group; Tammi McMillan Marshall, Assistant Professor/Program Director, Carlow University; Badel Mbanga, Senior Vice President, Data Science Group for the Treasury, Management, PNC Financial Services Group; Daillard Paris, Director of Supply & Trading, Sheetz; Renee Richardson, Senior Manager, Pharmacy Community Relations, Giant Eagle; Ronelle Robinson, IT Director, Human Resources Business Partner, Giant Eagle; Tenecia Ross, Director of Human Resources, Mt. Lebanon School District; Frank Tunstall IV, Senior Vice President, Internal Audit Director, PNC Financial Services Group; Chatón Turner, Senior Associate Counsel and Vice President Risk Management and Disabilities Services, UPMC; Melissa Wade, Director, Constituent Relations, Allegheny County Office of County Executive Rich Fitzgerald; Kuyba Washington, Director, Human Resources, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh; Michael Watson, Chief Compliance Officer/Chief Privacy Counsel, Wabtec Corporation; Karen Weiss, Director, Technology Solutions, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh; and Angela Williams, Director, Call Center Strategy, Portal Administration, UPMC Health Plan.

The fourth cohort of TALI’s Executive Leadership Academy, from July 22; The men—Left-Right Back Row: Darryl E. Jones, Daillard Paris, Justin Denham, Clark Delanois. Left-Right Front Row: Lee E. Lewis Jr., Badel Mbanga, Frank Tunstall IV, Michael Watson

The fifth cohort members are currently being finalized. Frazier expects that cohort to begin in January of 2023.

Frazier said companies are seeing the importance of investing in its Black employees. To get into the cohort, a company usually “sponsors” an employee by covering the expenses for the employee to participate in the academy.

“We’re seeing a significant increase in the number of sponsors at every level,” Frazier told the Courier. “It really demonstrates that they’re seeing this as a good thing to do, even the right thing to do.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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