Accelerate to Industry

Accelerate to Industry (A2i) is a workforce development program that allows graduate students to explore diverse career paths with our industry partners in the Charlotte region and beyond. This program offers a variety of modules that teach students how to transfer the skills they’ve acquired in their degree programs to meet the needs and challenges of industry. From one-day company site visits to semester-long team projects, A2i creates a host of meaningful interactions between sponsor companies and top Charlotte graduate students and postdocs.

Interested in presenting an A2i talk or workshop? Contact Dr. Jill Huerta (jhuerta2@charlotte.edu).

Fall 2025

DatePartnerWorkshopPresenter
September 9Interview Ready: Strategies and Insights to Showcase Your SkillsJamie Martin, Talent Acquisition Manager
September 25TBDApril Whitlock, Executive Director, LendingTree Foundation | Head of Corporate Citizenship at LendingTree 
October 17TBDKatie Conrad, Director, Deputy Chief of Staff at Novant Health
TBDTBDTBD

Spring 2025

DatePartnerWorkshopPresenter
Feb 6Ins and Outs of Professional Negotiation with Ally BankingSarah Haley, Campus Engagement Lead, Talent Acquisition
Feb 26Navigating Change:  Adapt and Lead in a Dynamic WorldRaul Castaneda, Regional Sr. Director Talent Mgmt, & Mfg. Learning Centers
March 10Career Pathways for Students with Technical & Data Analytics SkillsSumitha Natarajan, Head of Data Solutions and Data Products
Dr. Melissa Dabb, Executive Vice President of Architecture Infrastructure & Cloud
March 28Work Organization in an International CompanyGiuseppe Scaziota, Managing Director

PAST a2i events

Fall 2024

DatePartnerWorkshopPresenter
Oct
18		A2i: Insights from a Charlotte Alum: Leveraging Your Opportunities to Chart Your Career PathKatie Conrad, Director and Deputy Chief of Staff at Novant Health
Oct 22

A2i: Career Success Insights from Industry ExpertsMike Cowell, Executive Vice President, Chief Auditor/Internal Audit Services at TIAA

Pete Greve, Partner at Pesta, Finnie & Associates

Chris Moxley, entrepreneur and Co-Owner of Charlotte-based lifestyle brand 704 Shop
Oct25Don’t Blow It: Make a Positive Impression on EmployersMatt Bryan, Squad Leader for Manufacturing in Enterprise Data & Advanced Analytics at Siemens Energy

Spring 2024

DatePartnerWorkshopPresenter
April 5A2i Professional Storytelling Advice from AccentureMilan Damani, Accenture’s Managing Director & COO, Global Delivery Leader,  Chloé Human, a Charlotte alumna now in Strategy & Consulting, and Peyton Watson, Management Consulting Senior Analyst 

Corporate Participants