Candace Mitchell Harris named as Georgia Tech's Top 40 Under 40 Alumni
Candace Mitchell Harris Named As Georgia Tech Alumni Association 40 Under 40 Honoree
Candace is included in a new program designed to recognize the achievements of Georgia Institute of Technology alumni who are improving the human condition.
ATLANTA, JULY 15, 2020 — The Georgia Tech Alumni Association has announced 40 distinguished honorees who have innovated industries and positively impacted communities across the globe. In its first year, more than 250 individuals were nominated by colleagues, peers, and Georgia Tech faculty this April.
In its inaugural year, the 2020 class includes Olympian and breast cancer survivor Chaunté Lowe; founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, Joy Buolamwini, whose research on algorithmic bias in artificial intelligence (AI) has led to policy and industry changes in addressing AI harms; and Maithili Appalwar, who founded Avana to address the alarming rate of suicides among farmers in Yavatmal, a district in Maharashtra, India by working with more than 10,000 farmers to conserve more than 50 billion liters of water.
“I am amazed and humbled by the accomplishments of these innovators and trendsetters. They epitomize the focus that our Georgia Tech alumni have to make the world a better place,” shares Dene Sheheane, president of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.
Candace Mitchell Harris was looking for answers to untangle her haircare questions when she thought about how computer science could provide a solution. Braiding science with technology, Candace created a system that uses artificial intelligence to analyze hair type and texture to provide personalized haircare recommendations. She pitched her idea during Tech’s InVenture Prize competition making it to the semi-finals. A year after graduating from Tech, she was accepted to the Flashpoint accelerator program based in Tech Square. “I received my first seed investment and the rest is history!” Candace says. The technology is now used in her company Myavana, where customers can have their hair analyzed by texture, curl pattern, and overall health and receive specific haircare product recommendations. For her work, she’s been recognized by the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list as well as earned accolades from leading companies across the beauty industry. “The journey in becoming an industry disruptor and establishing a successful business has come with gaining the courage to break down barriers and overcome obstacles,” Candace says.
Those nominated must have completed at least one semester at Georgia Tech, be under the age of 40 as of June 30, 2020, and have made an impact in their profession or community, spanning all industries and sectors. A committee of 26 faculty, staff, and volunteer leaders, who collectively represented all Georgia Tech colleges, scored each nominee using a 25-point rubric. Selection Committee member Bert Reeves, MGT 2000, State Representative in the Georgia House of Representatives, expressed that, “I was blown away at the nearly impossible task of scoring the applicants. These are folks who are not just impacting their community and state, but in some cases, their country and the entire world. It is truly inspiring to see the innovation and passion that our alumni are contributing to many of the greatest issues our world faces today.”
A list of all 40 honorees is available here.
About the Georgia Tech Alumni Association
The Georgia Tech Alumni Association, chartered in 1908, is an exclusive network of more than 172,000 worldwide tied together by their experience at Georgia Tech. Through the Association, Tech alumni gain immediate access to its extensive, global alumni network, as well as numerous alumni programs and services designed to enrich both careers and lives. The Georgia Tech Alumni Association is a participation-driven non-profit corporation governed by a board of alumni volunteers. Since 1947, the Association’s Roll Call program has raised money to financially support Tech’s academic mission, a tradition that has transformed the Institute into the place it is today. Learn more at www.gtalumni.org.
