Computing Celebrates Its New Rising Stars and Hall of Fame Inductees

The College of Computing community gathered on October 23 for its annual Hall of Fame celebration, honoring members who have transformed our College and the field of computing.

About 160 people gathered for the formal evening event. During the ceremony, honorees received one of three awards: Rising Stars, Distinguished Impact, and Hall of Fame.

“Their accomplishments remind us that the success of our College is ultimately about people,” said Vivek Sarkar, John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing. “People who teach, mentor, and support our students, those who advance the frontiers of research, those who build companies and organizations, and those who give back to strengthen the community that helped shape them.”

The first awards of the evening recognized the contributions and achievements of recent GT Computing alumni who are already making an impact. The 2026 Rising Stars recipients are:

• Ali Foreman (CM 2017) – Based in Los Angeles, Foreman is a features writer for IndieWire covering media, entertainment, and accountability. She is known for sensitive, data-driven investigations that make complex issues accessible.
• Rushad Kaizad Heerjee (CS 2014; MS QCF 2017) – As head of international growth at Brain Co., Heerjee brings AI to governments and enterprises. He spent seven years at Palantir working across seven countries and holds seven patents.
• Tamer Shaaban (CS 2011) – Shaaban is a writer and award-winning director working at the intersection of computing and cinema; he directs global campaigns for Audi, Samsung, and the United Nations.

The College’s inaugural Distinguished Impact Awards went to members of our community who have left a lasting mark on the College, including alumni, friends, faculty, and staff:

• Bill Leahy (MS CS 1999) – Senior Lecturer Emeritus: Corning engineer turned computer scientist who became a beloved Georgia Tech teacher; the College’s best lecturer award bears his name.
• Mojgan LeFebvre (CS 1990) – EVP and Chief Technology & Operations Officer, Travelers: Travelers executive leading technology, AI, and operations; drove its award-winning AI strategy and serves on Georgia Tech’s President’s Advisory Board.
• David Bright Leonard – Director Emeritus of Academic and Research Technologies: Built the College’s computing services after founding Dean Peter Freeman recruited him in 1991; later led research technologies at OIT.
• Joshua Silver (CS 2001) – Founder and CEO, Rainforest: Serial payments entrepreneur who co-founded healthcare payments startup Patientco, now part of Waystar, and leads Rainforest, a payments-as-a-service company for software platforms.
• Sheetal Wrzesien (CS 1994) – in memoriam, Former Senior Director of Digital Platforms, GoTo Foods: Technology leader at The Home Depot, Google, and GoTo Foods; College Advisory Board member and advocate for women in technology.

The highlight of the evening was the induction of the new Hall of Famers, who have significantly contributed to computing and computing education over the years. The GT Computing 2026 Hall of Fame inductees are:

• Gregory Abowd – Former Regents’ Professor and J.Z. Liang Endowed Professor in the School of Interactive Computing; former Dean of the College of Engineering at Northeastern University: HCI pioneer who launched Classroom 2000 and the Aware Home, advanced autism technology research, and founded the Atlanta Autism Consortium.
• Richard DeMillo (PhD ICS 1972) – Charlotte B. and Roger C. Warren Chair in Computing, Georgia Tech: Former Dean of the College of Computing, Hewlett-Packard CTO, founder of the Center for 21st Century Universities, and founding interim chair of the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy.
• Paul Judge (MS CS 2001; PhD CS 2002) – Managing Partner, Open Opportunity Fund: Computer scientist turned entrepreneur who co-founded Purewire, Luma, and Pindrop, holds more than 30 patents, and has backed more than 100 startups.
• Elizabeth Mynatt (MS ICS 1989; PhD CS 1995) – Dean, Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University: Human-centered computing pioneer and 23-year Georgia Tech faculty member who led the Institute for People and Technology; an ACM Fellow.
• Andy Ozment (CS 2000) – EVP and Chief Technology Risk Officer, Capital One: Cybersecurity leader and Marshall Scholar; former DHS Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, White House cyber policy lead, and Goldman Sachs CISO.

2024 Hall of Fame class member Eugene Spafford attended the ceremony and was also honored. Spafford is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University; Founder and Executive Director Emeritus of CERIAS, a cybersecurity pioneer who originated digital forensics and introduced the modern security meaning of “firewall.”