6 Pitt affiliates joined The Advanced Leadership Institute’s 2026 cohort

A University of Pittsburgh researcher and five alumni were named to the 2026 cohort of The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI) Emerging Leaders Program on Jan. 30. It’s the fifth year of the program, which is designed to educate, develop, connect and position Black leaders and professionals for success.

The Emerging Leaders Program — conducted in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris University and Duquesne University — prepares early and established leaders for continued career growth. Through a new six-month hybrid learning model, participants will strengthen critical leadership competencies while exploring topics such as managerial effectiveness, executive presence, negotiation strategies, innovation and creative problem solving.

[Meet Pitt’s Audrey Murrell, who lends her business skills as a TALI faculty member.]

This year’s class includes 29 dynamic professionals representing a wide range of industries.

“Congratulations to all those selected for this year's Emerging Leaders Program cohort,” TALI President and CEO Evan Frazier said in a press release. “We created the program five years ago as a part of our continued commitment to supporting and cultivating the next generation of senior leaders. Given the exceptional talent in this year’s cohort, I am confident we will see meaningful and positive outcomes.”

The Pitt people in this year’s cohort are:

• Brandon Bell (BUS ’22)
• Alexus Brown (A&S ’22G, ’24G), senior social scientist at Pitt’s Center for Race and Social Problems
• Albert Garcia (SHRS ’15G)
• Gabrielle Green (A&S ’15)
• Christopher Pierre (BUS ’21)
• Cheriese Williams (A&S ’02)