February 15, 2023
In January 2023, Ishvaraus Davis (SCI '17) became a Congressional Innovation Fellow in Washington D.C. In his new role, Davis will work towards equity in technology––something he has been passionate about throughout his entire professional career.
The Congressional Innovation Fellowship is through TechCongress, an organization based in Washington, D.C. dedicated to placing qualified and dedicated technologists in Congress to better meet the technology-related needs of decision-makers with little-to-no technological background.
“The program at its highest level is bringing tech talent into Congress,” said Davis. “When thinking about how legislation is written, lots of decisions are made by people without a computer science background or degree… To get more technologists into Congress is to fundamentally change how we do tech policies, which is becoming more and more important.”
In this opportunity to directly impact the social ramifications of the increasing presence of technology-related legislation in everyday life, Davis has years of experience to support his work. Davis, originally from Waycross, Georgia, attended the University of Pittsburgh to study computer science in the hopes of eventually working at the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
After graduating in 2017, his hopes came to fruition––Davis began working as a software engineer at IBM. “The very first project I worked on [after graduating] was in machine learning, and my knowledge, grounding, and influence was built from Pitt,” Davis said about how his undergraduate degree has supported his professional work.
As a graduate of the School of Computing and Information, Davis’ passion for advocacy has left a lasting impact on the school. In 2020, Davis became instrumental in the creation of the Minority Association in Computing (MAC) club (previously called the Underrepresented Minorities in Computing organization). Out of desire for a space within SCI for underrepresented minorities involved with the school to voice their experiences, Davis reached out to Mackenzie Ball, Director of Outreach and Alumni Engagement for SCI.
“I wasn’t expecting a ton of movement because I was a random graduate,” said Davis, “but a few months later, I got a call back that they were ready to move with the idea, and wanted to get me involved.” Now, the club continues to build community, professional development, and mentorship within the field of technology.
In addition to his role in the creation of MAC, Davis also became an inaugural member of the SCI Alumni Board, created in 2021. The board, now in its second year, actively facilitates student and alumni networks, providing both with opportunities to professionally grow. Through the board, Davis has mentored students, and helped several find roles within desired fields.
With a vibrant professional history, including his work at IBM and at Meta (a technology company formerly known as Facebook), Davis’ upcoming work as a Congressional Innovation Fellow will allow his impact to grow.
About his work, Davis said, “I’ve always cared about people and wanted to fight for more equity in STEM. This is another opportunity to do so––to use expertise to fight for people who aren’t in these rooms in Congress, the House and Senate, working on tech policies. That way, when policies are made, we can make sure there’s the proper framework.”
--Emma Bender, SCI writing intern