Alum Kevin Graham recruits talent from systematically excluded communities into STEM fields to create a more ethical AI future.
When you ask Kevin Graham '10, '12G, Ph.D., what inspired him to pursue a career in the digital, seemingly robotic world of artificial intelligence and tech innovation, his answer may surprise you.
People, he said, are the through line between everything he does.
That’s because Graham’s unorthodox path into the tech world revolves around building inclusive workforces in the industry, not writing code or researching data science. In fact, one undergraduate experience at Nazareth would shape his people-first approach to everything that followed. His epiphany came when a guest speaker defined social work as “helping people to help themselves.”
“What a simplistic, yet powerful call to action,” Graham said. “It was ambiguous enough for an 18-year-old going on 19 that I could interpret it in a multiplicity of ways. It was also very exciting, right? Because now I get to play with ‘how do I help people to help themselves?’”
In the most recent episode of the Changemaker Chat podcast, hosted by Nazareth President Beth Paul, Ph.D., Graham describes the unique ways in which he answered that question and became an advocate for diversity in one of the world’s most critical, fastest-growing career fields.
Since October 2024, Graham has served as executive director of the Engineering Pathway Program for Community College Students, a partnership between the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, to improve educational outcomes for community college students in engineering. Before this role, he was the director of Break Through Tech AI at UCLA, helping underrepresented groups in technology gain the skills needed to get jobs in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
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| Kevin Graham spoke at the April 2024 Responsible AI: What's next in AI Leadership and Innovation conference at Nazareth University |
Some of Graham’s groundbreaking work in these roles included partnering with Apple to create and co-lead an iOS app design and development internship program, inspired by his work to research, develop, and implement practices aimed at eliminating inequities for students of color, first-generation, and low-income students.
“The workforces that I typically build are folks who are not necessarily immediately thought of when you see an AI or machine learning role or an aerospace role,” Graham said. “But once they get the opportunity, they simply excel. And to me, that's the joy.”
Graham’s wide-ranging conversation with President Paul goes well beyond his personal background, though it is fascinating. After earning his bachelor’s degree in social work, he continued his studies at Nazareth and earned a master’s degree in human resources before ultimately completing his doctorate in higher education leadership and administration at the University of Rochester. There, his experience working with the Teen Health Success Partnership program, which helps teens throughout Rochester graduate and transition into STEM fields, strengthened his interest in technology and the importance of creating equitable opportunities.
“AI isn't this tangible thing. It's the people who are building it,” Graham said. “So, I reverse engineer, and I look first at the people. My interest in technology resonates highly with who's doing the work, and what does that yield? If one group of a singular identity builds facial recognition, it makes sense that it only recognizes them. Now, if you get more people from different backgrounds to work on that, too, it makes sense that it recognizes more individuals.”
Graham also has deep insights into the overall impact of AI on society at large, as many people contemplate how it will transform the global workforce and potentially replace certain jobs. When used in the most responsible ways, AI is actually essential to the future of humanity, Graham said.
“I think AI has a huge and fundamental role in our future as human beings globally,” Graham said. “And I think the success and the utility of AI reside in its ability to augment what we do … if we continue to frame it as a tool, I think we're safe.”
In the world of higher education, Graham sees an opportunity for institutions to incorporate the arts and humanities into the study of artificial intelligence. Ensuring that students have a more comprehensive understanding of the world and bring a multidisciplinary perspective will only lead to more ethical and responsible development of AI over time. If the next wave of computer scientists, engineers, and builders has a background that helps them to think more nimbly and consider more factors that incorporate ethics, the future looks bright, said Graham.
Nazareth serves as a model for what he aims to accomplish in his work every day.
“Naz was the place where I was able to create. It was a rich environment that allowed me to experiment,” Graham said. “It allowed me to do not 10,000 hours, but rather 10,000 iterations. I was able to play with different things to see what fit, and to see where my interests really lie…an educational experience that allows people to pursue their interests, to me, that's fascinating.”
Listen to the podcast
The Changemaker Chat episode with Kevin Graham (47 minutes) has his full insights on building ethical AI, creating inclusive workforces, and why the humanities hold the key to technology's future, including:
- "Antifragile degrees" strategy - Hear his framework for building recession-proof careers that combine unexpected skills (like why every student should learn Python alongside their major).
- "Look beyond salary" career advice - Why chasing high-paying majors could leave you "crying in your Ferrari" — and his pragmatic alternative approach.
- AI tools you're already using - Graham points out how you're already an "expert" AI user
- The future of liberal arts in tech - Why philosophy and world religion classes are the secret weapons missing from computer science programs.
