Dozens of Charlotte-area teachers are getting what amounts to a golden ticket to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, courtesy of Huntington National Bank, just as the bank steps on the gas in its Carolinas expansion.
Seventy educators from the greater Charlotte region have been tapped for Huntington’s Ignite the Classroom cohort, an intensive yearlong professional development program that kicks off with a summer trip to the Ron Clark Academy and continues with coaching during the school year. Bank and education leaders say the goal is to sharpen classroom instruction at the same time Huntington cements its local presence.
As reported by Charlotte Business Journal, the selected teachers represent school districts in Anson, Mecklenburg and Union counties, and the rollout is tied directly to Huntington’s community investment strategy in the region and its broader Carolinas expansion plans.
In a press release via Huntington Bank, the company said Ignite the Classroom is now in its third year and has already reached nearly 2,300 educators across about 40 school districts. Huntington describes the effort as a cohort-style professional development program that culminates in an immersive Ron Clark Academy training, with a heavy focus on classroom-ready strategies and leadership skills teachers can put to work immediately.
“Huntington is proud to continue growing in the Carolinas and giving back to the region, including through our Ignite the Classroom initiative,” Trent Holland, the bank’s regional president for North and South Carolina, said in the release. Local superintendents quoted in Huntington’s statement framed the investment as targeted support that could pay off in both teacher growth and student outcomes.
Bank expansion is moving fast
The teacher scholarships are arriving alongside a sizable brick-and-mortar push. Huntington has said it plans to open about 55 branches and hire roughly 350 employees across the Carolinas as part of an accelerated retail buildout. That expansion, first flagged in 2024 and recently moved onto a faster timetable, is part of a broader strategy to plant physical branches in fast-growing Carolinas markets, as reported by Banking Dive.
Charlotte in particular is a prime target, with its rapid growth and dense cluster of financial firms making it catnip for banks hungry for both consumer deposits and business clients. Axios noted in March that multiple institutions are zeroing in on Charlotte for dozens of new branches as they jockey for market share.
Huntington has been rolling out the Ignite the Classroom playbook in other markets while it grows, using the training program to build relationships with educators alongside traditional hiring and branch launches. For instance, a 2025 cohort of teachers in Ohio headed to the Ron Clark Academy after securing scholarships through the same initiative, as covered in Huntington funds Columbus educators.
What to watch
Charlotte’s new cohorts are slated to travel to the Ron Clark Academy in July, with ongoing coaching to follow once they are back in their home districts.
On the banking side, Huntington’s timetable for those 55 branches and 350 hires will be the key yardstick for how effectively it converts community-facing investments like teacher training into long-term local operations. As reported by Charlotte Business Journal, observers will be watching where the bank plants its next wave of branches and whether future Ignite the Classroom cohorts stretch into additional county districts as the Carolinas buildout continues.
