Angelica Rivera joins Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Emerging Business Leaders Class 14 for 2026 cohort

Selection highlights leadership-development pipeline across major Charlotte-area employers

Angelica Rivera, of Shumaker, has been selected for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance’s Emerging Business Leaders (EBL) Class 14, part of a 2026 cohort drawn from employers across the Charlotte region. The seven-month program is structured as an immersive leadership and talent-development experience for high-potential professionals and is designed to build leadership capability while strengthening cross-industry networks.

The Class 14 roster includes participants from a wide range of sectors central to the region’s economy—banking, healthcare, energy, construction, professional services, higher education, consumer brands, sports and entertainment, and public-facing visitor organizations. The cohort list released with the announcement shows representation from companies and institutions including Atrium Health, Novant Health, Duke Energy, Bank of America, NASCAR, Lowe’s, Deloitte, EY, Fifth Third Bank, Wells Fargo, UNC Charlotte, and UNC Kenan-Flagler, among others.

Program scope and curriculum

EBL is positioned as the CLT Alliance’s flagship leadership-development offering, bringing together professionals from different organizations for a shared curriculum. The program’s stated focus is on developing practical leadership skills and expanding participants’ exposure to complex workplace challenges. Topics identified for Class 14 include polarity management, strategic decision making, and executive communications.

• Duration: seven months
• Participants: professionals selected from diverse employers across the Charlotte region
• Skill areas: leadership development, decision-making frameworks, and communications training

Corporate and institutional backing

Partners named for the 2026 EBL cycle include Bank of America, Honeywell, NASCAR, PwC, Queens University, UNC Charlotte, and UNC Kenan-Flagler. The CLT Alliance has described the EBL initiative as part of broader efforts to strengthen leadership readiness and workforce competitiveness in the region by supporting talent development and professional connections across industries.

The program is structured to challenge participants to build leadership skills while forming relationships across companies and industries in the Charlotte region.

Why the Class 14 roster matters

The cohort composition offers a snapshot of how leadership-development investments are being distributed across the region’s largest and most influential employers, as well as midsize and specialized organizations. With Rivera’s selection from Shumaker, the Class 14 lineup continues a pattern of including professionals from both major national brands and locally rooted institutions.

The 2026 cohort announcement was dated December 16, 2025, and lists Rivera among the Class 14 members alongside peers from sectors that collectively shape hiring, investment, and civic engagement throughout the Charlotte area.