The 2024 Executive Leadership Academy Cohort — Left-Right Back Row: Latasha Wilson-Batch, Sherlyn Harrison, Kiel Chapman, Lauren DeDomenic, Yalanda Wells, Kashif Henderson, Kwame Burroughs, Tere McKinney-Bundy, Sierra Parm, Jada Shirriel, Denise McGill-Delaney, Juel Smith. Left-Right Front Row: Jacques Moye, Gizelle Sherwood, Sylvia Smith, Tony Thompson, TaJane Nolen, Ja-Neen Jones, Kendra Ross, Tinisha Hunt, Mike Belgrove. (Photo by Joe Pucciarelli; Sean Means Photography)

Seventh cohort of the ‘Executive Leadership Academy’

 As President Donald Trump continues his onslaught against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, ridding of the programs on a federal level and DEI haters put pressure on private, Fortune 500 companies to do the same, Carnegie Mellon University and The Advanced Leadership Institute have, in effect, told Trump to shove it.

CMU and TALI have introduced their next cohort of Black professionals, who, over the next seven months, will have been trained and equipped with all the skills needed to attain a top-management-level position at a company, known as the C-Suite.

President Trump hinted that the reason why a fatal mid-air collision occurred on Wednesday night, Jan. 29, in Washington, D.C., was because of “diversity hires” that were not the best individuals that could be found in the air traffic control room.

EVAN FRAZIER, LEFT, IS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE ADVANCED LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE.

The founder of TALI, Evan Frazier, has always said that many African Americans are the best candidates for a particular “high-up” position in a company, but companies seem to not choose those candidates, most times. That’s why he started The Advanced Leadership Initiative (now Institute), to make sure that even more African Americans had the chance to get the proper training and mentorship to be the “best candidate,” while applying pressure on companies in Pittsburgh and elsewhere to hire more African Americans for top-level positions…not just because they’re Black, but because they are also, oftentimes, the best candidates.

Now in its seventh cohort, the 21 participants were introduced on Jan. 24 at the Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business. The cohort is known as the Executive Leadership Academy.

The cohort members will embark on a seven-month journey, which includes two days per month of intense training, mentorship, classes and real-world scenarios. Many of the cohort members were “sponsored” by their own companies or organizations, a sign that their employer is invested in seeing their employees gain even more skills and, possibly, become a top leader in that company one day.

Many of the cohort members are past recipients of the New Pittsburgh Courier’s “Fab 40 under 40,” “Men of Excellence” or “Women of Excellence” awards. As an example, Sherlyn Harrison, a cohort member, was just honored as a Courier “Woman of Excellence” in December 2024. Kiel Chapman, another cohort member, was honored as a Courier “Man of Excellence” in September 2024.

TALI EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY 2025 COHORT MEMBER JADA SHIRRIEL.

The Courier has featured Jada Shirriel, Healthy Start Pittsburgh CEO, in a number of articles over the years. Shirriel told the Courier that now is the time for her to take on the challenge of being a cohort member for TALI.

“I believe timing is everything, and I’ve known about the program for a couple years, but this year was my year,” Shirriel told the Courier. “I had the time and the capacity to apply and make the commitment, and really be present and engaged, where I can get the most out the program.”

Frazier, unafraid to use the word “diversity” unlike the current U.S. president, has told the Courier in previous interviews that “Black or African American leadership is important as we think about how critical having diverse leadership is for helping companies, as well as institutions and regions, be able to grow. When you have diverse leadership, it allows you greater ability to understand multiple perspectives, which is critical in being successful.”

That’s the mission of TALI, Frazier has said. “To cultivate Black executive leadership to strengthen companies, institutions and communities.”

In 2019, Sierra Parm was one of the Courier’s Fab 40 recipients. She’s ready to take the next step in her professional journey as a cohort member this year for TALI’s Executive Leadership Academy.

In 2022, Lauren DeDomenic was celebrated as one of the Courier’s Fab 40 recipients. She’s ready as well to take that next leap towards the top of the professional food chain as a TALI cohort member in 2025.

When you’re the CEO, or the boss, it sounds good, but you better know what you’re doing. You’re the face of the company, and when good things happen, you may not get the credit, but when bad things happen, you get all the blame. The cohort members are ready to have that opportunity. As for Shirriel, she actually is the boss at Healthy Start Pittsburgh. She told the Courier she’s unsure what to exactly expect out the program, but whatever happens, it will be for her betterment. A 1997 graduate of Schenley High School, Shirriel then earned a bachelor’s degree at the HBCU Morgan State University, and later a Master of Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University in 2003.

Safe to say Shirriel, the CMU grad, won’t get lost on campus during the program.

“I’m ready to get some new skills and some new connections to look at my leadership in a different way,” Shirriel said. She’s been CEO of Healthy Start Pittsburgh since 2016. “We’ve done a lot, we’ve grown a lot under my leadership and I never want to be stagnant. So I felt that it was the right time to engage in this kind of opportunity to keep me in a space where I’m feeling like I’m moving forward, and therefore can move the organization forward.”