2026 Alumni and Legacy Awards

Inaugurated in 2015, the Distinguished Alumni Awards celebrate excellence in the College community. We present three categories of awards: the Distinguished Alumni Awards, recognizing graduates from each of our six academic Schools and from each of our ROTC branches of service; the Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Awards, honoring a faculty member and graduate and undergraduate students; and the Dean’s Appreciation Award, honoring steadfast friends and supporters of the College.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards honor graduates from each of the six academic Schools in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and from each of our ROTC branches of service.

Edward Byrns, M.S. AE 1988, M.S. ECON 1991, Ph.D. AE 1991

Edward V. Byrns Jr. is a triple-degree recipient from Georgia Tech, holding a Ph.D. in Engineering, an M.S. in Economics, and an M.S. in Engineering. While a graduate student, he realized that his academic interests spanned engineering and social sciences. Georgia Tech was the ideal institution to build a bridge between both. For over 25 years, Byrns has been working in commodity and weather markets, and he currently heads the climate risk team at Atrium Underwriting, a syndicate of Lloyd’s of London. Byrns has been an entrepreneur at the intersection of insurance underwriting, commodity trading, and analytic technology. He founded a startup, held quantitative leadership positions, and briefly served as an adjunct professor. His career trajectory reflects a consistent drive to translate technical insights into market-based tools for addressing large-scale global challenges.

Alyssa Sheehan, HTS 2013, M.S. DM 2018, Ph.D. HCI 2024

Alyssa Sheehan is dedicated to shaping the future of work by prioritizing human needs in the design of emerging technologies. Leveraging her Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction, she evaluates the realities of the modern workplace to ensure that systems — from AI to the Metaverse — support the workers who use them. Currently the vice president of user research at Ipsos North America, Sheehan actively works to bridge the gap between industry and academia, establishing new university partnerships and internship programs that connect cutting-edge research with practical application. She now aims to put her research into direct action by acquiring and transforming manufacturing companies in the Southeast, applying worker-centered design principles to modernize operations. She continues to lead at the intersection of technology, labor, and organizational change, advancing industry and communities alike.

Austin Long, INTA 1998

Austin Long is a senior fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Center for Nuclear Security Policy and a defense fellow at Fuse Energy. He was previously a career member of the Senior Executive Service, serving as the deputy director for strategic stability, Joint Staff J5. Prior to joining the Joint Staff, Long was a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation and an associate professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He was an analyst and adviser to the U.S. military in Iraq (2007-2008) and Afghanistan (2011 and 2013). He received his B.S. from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and his Ph.D. in political science from MIT.

Andrew Pilsch, STC and CS 2005

Andrew Pilsch graduated from Georgia Tech with B.S. degrees in STC and CS in 2005 and has since earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from The Pennsylvania State University. For the past decade he has worked as an assistant and then associate professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of English, where he teaches classes in rhetoric, science fiction, and the digital humanities. His first book, Transhumanism: Evolutionary Futurism and the Human Technologies of Utopia, was published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2017 and was the winner of the 2017 Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies Book Prize. He is completing a book on the media history of computer bugs. He is also currently serving as the Interim Head of the Department of English.

Najia Humayun, IAML-Spanish 2019

Najia Humayun is an appellate attorney in the Family Defense Practice at the Bronx Defenders. She was formerly a staff attorney at Brooklyn Defenders in the Family Defense Practice, directly representing parents whose children were being removed from their care by the government. She is an alum of Berkeley Law and Georgia Tech. Her scholarship focuses on challenging the U.S. criminal legal system through Islamic law and prison industrial complex abolition frameworks.

Trey Childress, INTA and IE 2000, M.S. PUBP 2002

Trey Childress is a partner in McKinsey’s Miami Office. Childress previously served as deputy governor and COO for the State of Illinois, where he led executive branch operations and transformation efforts. He also served as COO for the State of Georgia for Governors Perdue and Deal, where he led operational improvements across the enterprise, helping Georgia achieve recognition as “Best Managed State.” He was previously director of the Governor’s Office of Planning & Budget, leading the state of through the depths of the “Great Recession,” sustaining its AAA credit rating and improving its overall financial risk profile. As director of policy and senior advisor to Governor Perdue, he led advisors and aides toward the development, passage, and implementation of over 30 key initiatives in education, economic development, environmental, transportation, public safety and tax policy.

Patrick H. Mason, Army ROTC, IE 1986

Patrick Mason, a member of the Senior Executive Service, serves as deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation. He oversees Army security assistance, export policy, and international cooperation, managing more than $217 billion in programs across 150+ partner nations. Previously, Mason held senior acquisition leadership roles, including acting Army acquisition executive, program executive officer for aviation, and project manager for Special Operations aircraft. He holds a B.S. in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech, a M.S. in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. A Master Army Aviator and experimental test pilot, Mason has been recognized for technical innovation and advancing international defense cooperation.

Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, Air Force ROTC, CE 1977

Gen. Philip M. Breedlove retired from the U.S. Air Force as NATO’s Commander, Supreme Allied Command, Europe, “SACEUR” and Commander U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. He is a Distinguished Professor of the Practice in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and serves on the board of directors at the Atlantic Council. He was raised in Forest Park, Georgia, received a degree in civil engineering and was commissioned in 1977 as a distinguished graduate of Georgia Tech’s ROTC program. He has been assigned to numerous operational, command and staff positions, and has completed 11 overseas tours, including two remote tours. He served in several senior staff positions including vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. and as vice director for Strategic Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff.  

Perry Solomon, Navy ROTC, CE 1999

Perry Solomon is the proud husband of his freshman year sweetheart, Laura Solomon, IE 2000. Together, they have three children and established Tybee Oyster Company in 2022. In 2019, Perry joined Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah following a distinguished 20-year U.S. Navy career, where he flew F/A-18s from eight aircraft carriers. His pinnacle achievement was commanding the VFA-34 Blue Blasters for two deployments aboard USS Carl Vinson. He now operates from the Savannah factory flightline, flying all Gulfstream production models. As an international demonstration captain, he showcases aircraft capabilities to potential customers. The Solomons also work on their oyster farm, advocating for Georgia’s mariculture industry and fostering community relationships to raise awareness of the ecosystem services provided by wild oyster reefs that protect the Georgia coast.

The Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Awards honor faculty and students whose lives and work embody the spirit of Georgia Tech alumnus Ivan Allen Jr. As stewards of Mayor Allen’s legacy, the College champions research, teaching, and service that encompass Mayor Allen’s visionary urban policies and his values of social courage, social justice, and ethical action.

The Legacy Awards are made possible by our generous supporters, Col. Stephen C. Hall and Mrs. Pamela Hall.

Esha Venkat, B.S./M.S. Public Policy

Esha Venkat is pursuing a B.S./M.S. in Public Policy with a minor in Global Development. She is the co-founder and COO of NEST4US, one of the world’s largest youth-founded nonprofits, where she has contributed 7,500+ service hours and leads a team of 9,000 volunteers with $6.5 million in volunteer impact. She serves as a leader in organizations such as Youth Service America, Points of Light, FAO’s World Food Forum, Giving Tuesday, World Bank’s Global Youth Climate Network, etc. At Georgia Tech, she conducts research with Richard Barke on the sustainability of youth-founded nonprofits and is an active leader in the John H. Martinson Honors Program Leadership Council and the OUESS Student Advisory Board. Her Georgia Tech honors include being named a Rhodes Scholar Finalist, Stamps President’s Scholar Walk-On, and a Millennium Fellow.

Errika Moore, Ph.D. History and Sociology of Technology and Science

Errika Moore is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of History and Sociology. Her work explores the intersections of the sociology of education, philanthropy, and technological innovation, with a focus on how institutions shape equitable access to opportunity. She holds a B.S. in industrial and systems engineering and M.S. in history and sociology of technology and science from Georgia Tech. Moore is the inaugural executive director of the National STEM Funders Network, leading national strategies to align philanthropic investment with inclusive STEM ecosystems. She is the inaugural Chief External Affairs Officer for Camelback Ventures, a venture accelerator committed to empowering diverse entrepreneurs in education and conscious tech to create impactful solutions that address systemic inequities. She has contributed to Georgia Tech through service to the Alumni Association, Black Alumni Organization, and many more.

Mary Frank Fox, Dean’s Distinguished Professor, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy

Mary Frank Fox is Dean’s Distinguished Professor in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. She is a pioneer and leader in the study of women and men in academic and scientific organizations and occupations: education, knowledge, workplaces, and careers. Her research has introduced and established ways that participation and performance reflect and are affected by complex social-organizational processes of science and academia. Her current research identifies patterns previously unknown in features of the research specialty of women in science and engineering: stratification, integration, and the development and transmission of the knowledge. Fox’s publications appear in over 60 different scholarly and scientific journals, books, and collections. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The Dean’s Appreciation Award signals the importance of teaching, research, and service in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and the value of an educational experience informed by the ideals of Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. The award honors individuals associated with the College who have made extraordinary contributions to its advancement, reputation, and mission. Recipients of the award, through their affiliation, work, or witness, have become notable members of the Ivan Allen College community.

An award-winning historic preservationist and real estate developer, Gene Kansas has spent two decades championing community-driven development in Atlanta’s historic neighborhoods, particularly Sweet Auburn, birthplace of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. Founder of Constellations, a culturally focused shared workspace in the heart of Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District, Kansas aims to build up history rather than build over it. He is the author of Civil Sights (UGA Press, 2025), an award-winning book documenting civil rights history in Atlanta. He is an inaugural speaker with Georgia Humanities’ “The Georgia Circuit” and creator and host of celebrated Sidewalk Radio on AM 1690 “Voice of the Arts.” Serving as vice chair of the Ivan Allen College Advisory Board, Kansas holds a B.S. in entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona.