THE 2025 EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY COHORT-—LEFT-RIGHT BACK ROW: KIEL CHAPMAN, JACQUES MOYE, KASHIF HENDERSON, SIERRA PARM, LAUREN DEDOMENIC, KWAME BURROUGHS, TINISHA HUNT, TONY THOMPSON, GIZELLE SHERWOOD, MIKE BELGROVE, AND DENISE MCGILL-DELANEY. LEFT-RIGHT FRONT ROW: TERE MCKINNEY-BUNDY, TAJANE NOLEN, SHERLYN HARRISON, JA-NEEN JONES, KENDRA ROSS, YALANDA WELLS, AND JADA SHIRRIEL. NOT PHOTOGRAPHED: JUEL SMITH, SYLVIA SMITH, AND LATASHA WILSON-BATCH
On June 27, The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI) and Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business (CMU) celebrated the seventh graduating cohort of the Executive Leadership Academy (ELA), the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned. ELA, a six-month program designed to address the challenges Black leaders and their allies face, provides senior-level managers and executives with a world-class executive education that focuses on academic instruction, executive coaching, mentorship, and peer networking. The 21 leaders who participated in the program received advanced tools, perspectives, and skills to help them deliver value and positively impact their organizations and communities.
“Congratulations to this year’s Executive Leadership Academy graduates! The 21 talented cohort members not only represent the wealth of impressive executives we have in our region, but the growth of the distinguished TALI Alumni Network, which now consists of over 300 high-performing leaders. We look forward to watching these men and women flourish both personally and professionally,” said Evan Frazier, President and CEO, The Advanced Leadership Institute, in a statement to the Courier.
“We are proud to continue partnering with TALI to deliver innovative course content and insights that help leaders thrive,” added Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, dean and Richard P. Simmons Professor of Finance, Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business. “The individuals who participated in the 2025 Executive Leadership Academy Cohort have gained the tools and perspectives they need to succeed in all their professional endeavors and contribute to the community at the highest levels.”
Various members of the TALI and CMU families joined the graduates at the ceremony at Carnegie Mellon University. TALI Alumna Dina Clark, Ed.D., Senior Vice President, Inclusion & Engagement, Skanska USA Building Inc., delivered the keynote address.
Congratulations to the 2025 Executive Leadership Academy Graduates: Mike Belgrove, Chief Human Resources Officer, Life’sWork of Western PA; Kwame Burroughs, Senior Director, Medicare Business and Development Group, UPMC Health Plan; Kiel Chapman, Production Manager, PPG; Lauren DeDomenic, Deputy Chief of Staff, Policy and Partnerships, Office of Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato; Sherlyn Harrison, Chief Program Officer, Pittsburgh Scholar House; Kashif Henderson, Executive Director, Neighborhood Learning Alliance; Tinisha Hunt, Chief Executive Officer, Macedonia FACE; Ja-Neen Jones, Chief Executive Officer, TRAC Services for Families; Denise McGill-Delaney, Chief Operating Officer, Gwen’s Girls; Tere McKinney-Bundy, Associate General Counsel, Labor and Employment, Form Energy; Jacques Moye, Attorney at Law , Clark Hill; TaJane Nolen, Director, Product Management, American Eagle Outfitters; Sierra Parm, Operations Director, A. Philip Randolph Institute; Kendra Ross, Head of Social Impact, Duolingo; Gizelle Sherwood, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Laboratories, Teaching Professor in Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University; Jada Shirriel, Chief Executive Officer, Healthy Start, Inc.; Juel Smith, Associate Dean of Science and Executive Director of Homewood-Brushton Center, CCAC; Sylvia Smith, Director, Contract Management & Operations, Highmark; Tony Thompson, Counsel, Dollar Bank, FSB; Yalanda Wells, Commercial Banker, Bank of America; Latasha Wilson-Batch, Executive Director, Best of the Batch Foundation.
In 2026, the Executive Leadership Academy will be combined with the National Executive Leadership Academy (NELA). NELA is now open for new applications for the 2026 cohort. Senior-level managers and executives who are located regionally and nationally and have at least 10 years of professional work experience in the corporate, nonprofit, government, or entrepreneurial sectors with business functions in any U.S. market are encouraged to apply before October 15. The program, which leverages course content delivered by CMU, educates, develops, connects, and positions professionals for executive advancement. TALI equips high-performing leaders with the strategies, insights, and networks needed to thrive. The programs are open to people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds.
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