To advance economic mobility across the Charlotte Region, Ally Financial has committed $2 million to help fund the Charlotte Talent Initiative (CTI), a newly established partnership between organizations in Mecklenburg County and Queens University to expand Charlotte’s talent pipeline while also impacting the lives of low-income graduates from local high schools.
Ally Financial CEO Jeff Brown, along with Janet LaBar, president and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, joined Queens President Dan Lugo to celebrate the announcement.
Ally’s commitment will include an annual investment over four years which will provide full-tuition scholarships as well as internship and job placement opportunities upon graduation for students in the Ally cohort. Ally will also provide the students in its CTI cohort with onsite experiences at its corporate center and access to mentors within the organization.
“We have a bold vision for the Charlotte Talent Initiative and Ally’s participation helps make that vision a reality,” Lugo said. “Ally has what it takes to play a transformative role in the lives of these students, and together we are one step closer to changing the narrative around economic mobility in Charlotte.”
CTI will create pipelines for talented, socioeconomically diverse university graduates to contribute to the most pressing organizational needs of partners. Ally’s commitment reflects an understanding of the need to level the playing field and accelerate the economic trajectories of talented young people, regardless of their socioeconomic background, through education.
“There’s no question that the future of Charlotte is bright but for far too long, our city has not created equal access to opportunity,” Brown said. “At Ally, our commitment to closing the wealth gap and creating pathways to economic mobility for all people is woven into our culture and vital to our success as an organization. That’s why, today, we’re honored to announce this $2 million contribution to help fund the Charlotte Talent Initiative to help strengthen the career trajectory of local graduates from low-income communities while also building a talent pipeline that will bring new ideas and creativity to Ally, and other businesses in the Charlotte Region.”
Ally will work with Queens to create a cohesive set of financial and business management opportunities to educate students in modern leadership within the context of a liberal arts curriculum.
Ally joins Lowe’s as an inaugural corporate partner for Queens’ Charlotte Talent Initiative. This partnership will create curricular and co-curricular experiences for students focused on data analytics. The program will provide students with an authentic application of learning while providing Ally with a pipeline of valuable interns and graduates.
“Creating a more inclusive talent pipeline with greater access to education, training and employment opportunities is a win-win for the economic vitality of the Charlotte Region as well as for commonly underserved communities,” LaBar said. “Emerging partnerships like CTI will undoubtedly increase our ability to attract and develop new talent while helping to expand Charlotte’s economic competitiveness.”
The first Ally student cohort will begin in the 2023 Fall semester. Students will take a suite of computing and data analytics courses while pursuing a major in their chosen field of interest.
“This is the next chapter of an extraordinary journey for Queens and Ally as we partner to recruit, educate, employ and develop Charlotteans within the Ally cohort,” Lugo said. “I’m eager to get started and I can’t wait to witness how much Queens is changed by welcoming this cohort of students to campus and improving their individual trajectories.”
Brown, who leads Ally’s nearly 11,000 employees and also serves as chairman of the board of trustees for Queens, believes that education is crucial to promoting equity and economic mobility.
“We look forward to working with CTI students to support their education, provide internships, and offer job placement upon graduation. We are committed to giving them the experiences and opportunities needed to reach new heights and make invaluable contributions as future leaders in Charlotte,” he said. “We are building a workforce for the future.”
