Professionals united to advance the Charlotte Region.

Avery Bonifati is the manager of engagement for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. She works closely with the CLT Alliance’s Advocacy team and spearheads the Power of Women program through innovative and informative events. 

“We are thrilled to have Avery join the Engagement team,” Ashley Hedrick, director of engagement, said. “In her role, she will engage our investors in a meaningful way. With her Political Science degree and work in Congresswoman Alma Adams’ office, we are confident she will help push our policy priorities forward through educational opportunities and connectivity.”  

Karen Brand joined the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance in April 2025 as senior program manager, bringing with her a deep commitment to help business owners thrive. In this role, she leads the charge in delivering the Small Business Acceleration & Support team’s signature educational programs – initiatives that strengthen leadership capacity, forge connections, identify valuable resources, and help entrepreneurs build meaningful social capital.

With 25 years of experience in communications and marketing, Karen understands the power of a well-told story, and delights in helping others tell theirs. A lifelong learner and team player, she brings empathy, optimism, and a deep desire to champion the success of others.

Ann Brooks joined the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance after an exhilarating quarter-century in telecommunications infrastructure advocacy.  During her time in this field, she learned the fundamentals of government relations while working across the southeastern United States.  She is thrilled to represent a broad spectrum of industries at the CLT Alliance, satisfying her unending curiosity. 

Before moving to the Queen City in 2014, Ann experienced life in four distinct regions of the country. Now, she can confidently recommend the Charlotte area to everyone.  Working closely with the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and dozens of regional jurisdictions, she has been intimately involved in the planning and cross-functional collaborating that makes cities thrive. 

Alyssa Brown Moseley has a decade of experience in economic and workforce development, having worked across verticals including marketing, research, and business recruitment, both at the local and state levels. With a collaborative approach, she implements creative marketing and data analysis strategies to support economic development projects and has successfully supported numerous headquarters, corporate hub, and manufacturing facility announcements. In her current role as the director of strategy for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, Alyssa leads the economic development strategy for the 14-county region.

Kyle Brun is an investor relations manager for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. In this role, he works on the organization’s Investor Relations Team to support stakeholders and investors across the expansive 14-county, bi-state Charlotte Region.

Kyle, a Charlotte transplant from Indianapolis, grew up around the nonprofit development space.

Rob Buddo serves as the director of business recruitment for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, where he leads targeted economic development efforts to attract high-impact corporate investment, strengthen the region’s industry clusters, and deepen global market engagement across Charlotte and its 14-county region.

Rob has built his career in economic development and commercial real estate. Prior to joining the CLT Alliance, he spent much of his career in downtown place management, serving as the manager of the Downtown Business Improvement District in Birmingham, Alabama, and later as president & CEO of Downtown Huntsville, Inc. During that time, he led strategies related to COVID recovery, retail and office recruitment, development consulting, and other initiatives focused on creating vibrant urban districts.

Colleen Cooke began her career with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance’s legacy organization, the Charlotte Chamber, back in 1991. Colleen was hired as a word processor and her job has evolved over the years. She is now Executive Administrator, supporting the CLT Alliance President & CEO as well as the rest of the C-Suite. 

Colleen is passionate about her job and loves the Charlotte Region. Having moved here in 1981, she has seen the city of Charlotte grow significantly and knows the value that a strong voice for the business community like the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance plays in this growth.

If you have attended a CLT Alliance Economic Outlook meeting or reviewed the Annual Plan, you already know Darius Corry’s work.

Darius joined the CLT Alliance Marketing and Communications after several months of doing graphic design work for the organization on a contract basis.

Prior to joining the CLT Alliance, Darius worked for Food Lion, Odyssey Logistics and Technology, and most recently at INSP entertainment network as the program coordinator for creative materials. 

Shawn Cummins grew up on Air Force bases as the child of military parents, an upbringing that instilled in him discipline, adaptability, and a sharp attention to detail. From an early age, he discovered a passion for both creativity and technology—writing music, building computers, and exploring the worlds of geometry and statistics.

In 2015, Shawn found the perfect intersection of these interests when he discovered Geographic Information Systems (GIS) while studying at UNC Charlotte. He graduated in 2019 and began his professional journey with Esri, applying his skills in mapping and spatial analysis. He later transitioned into economic development research in Iredell County before joining the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, where he continues to combine data, design, and strategy to drive regional growth.