Image: Image: from left: Dr. Alton Standifer, Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Chief of Staff to the Provost; Dr. Matthew Heric, Chair, Graduate Education Advancement Board; Alumni of Distinction Award Recipients: Dr. Khalifeh AlJadda, Dr. Theda Perdue, Dr. Ashvin Chhabra, Honorable Ms. Inez Tenenbaum, Dr. Leo Twiggs; Dr. Ron Walcott, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School In 2013, the UGA Graduate School’s Graduate Education Advancement Board (GEAB) established the Alumni of Distinction award to honor graduates who have achieved exceptional success in their professional careers and in service to their communities. More specifically, the Alumni of Distinction award recognizes achievements that exemplify UGA’s mission “to teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things” at local, regional, and global levels. Alumni of all UGA graduate programs are eligible for consideration for the Graduate School’s Alumni of Distinction award. This year one of the six award recipients is a UGA School of Computing alum. Khalifeh AIJadda (Ph.D. `14) is the Director of Data Science at Google. He is a distinguished computer scientist and accomplished leader in the field of data science and has extensive experience implementing complex machine learning algorithms to solve real-world challenges across diverse domains. Previously, Dr. AlJadda held the position of Senior Director of Online Data Science at Home Depot, where he spearheaded key data science initiatives. A recognized thought leader, Dr. AlJadda is the founder of the Southern Data Science Conference and co-founder of the non-profit ATLytiCS, which provides education and resources to “assist non-profits in using data-inspired decisions to aid their outreach to vulnerable populations in the Atlanta Community.” Type of News/Audience: Alumni
