As an AI/ML Tech Evangelist, Founder, and Entrepreneur, Dr. Nashlie Sephus brings an impressive depth of experience and knowledge to the EyeGage team as Technical Advisor. Recently awarded Mississippian of the Year Award by the Jackson Chapter of CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) AITP (Association of IT Professionals), Dr. Sephus understands how to advise through the necessary technical advancements of a startup because she has done so herself.

Dr. Sephus is leading the technological advancement of Jackson, Mississippi as Founder and CEO of The Bean Path and Jxn Tech District. The Bean Path, a technology and consulting startup that services Jackson, MS local businesses, has a mission is to sow technical expertise, grow networks and fertilize communities. Additionally, CEO of The JXN Tech District, a development expected to bring nearly 800,000 square feet of commercial, residential, and mixed-use businesses to downtown Jackson. A city within a city, the JXN Tech District inspires to be a microcosm of excellence, entrepreneurship, art, and technology.

In addition to her entrepreneurial endeavors, Dr. Sephus is a Tech Evangelist at Amazon Web Services. At AWS, she is responsible for establishing scientifically rigorous benchmarking and testing methods for machine learning services to ensure that the technology Amazon products produce are highly accurate and fair.

Previously, Dr. Sephus served as Chief Technology Officer of Partpic, acquired by Amazon in 2016, a visual recognition technology company that allows users to save time and money searching for replacement maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) parts.

Dr. Sephus leads by example as she advises EyeGage. A graduate of Mississippi State University with a B.S. in Computer Engineering and a Ph.D in Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech, she brings her expertise in AI, machine learning, software development and technology nonprofits to EyeGage’s wheelhouse.

With her accomplished skill set, having her advise EyeGage helps the company continue to progress. We asked Dr. Sephus a couple questions about her eagerness to join EyeGage as a Technical Advisor and how her experience aids in her role.

What inspired you to become an Advisor for EyeGage?

I have known Dr. Brown since we were in graduate school at Georgia Tech’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) PhD program, where we were two out of maybe 6 black women in the whole program at the time. She always had the work ethic and leadership qualities of someone who was a mover and a shaker.

I knew with her background and her aptitude, she would be successful in whatever she set out to do. This led me to support her in whatever way I could at the time; thus I became a Technical Advisor for EyeGage.

How does your extensive experience and expertise aid you as Technical Advisor for EyeGage?

I could lend a helping hand from my experiences in AI/ML/cloud computing and having worked in a startup environment before. I am happy to share my lessons learned and any networking/connections that help the mission of EyeGage. It’s apparent from Dr. Brown’s rising success in building interests and demand that Eyegage will become a huge player in the market worldwide.

I’m extremely excited to see EyeGage’s success thus far and believe in the need for this technology on a grand scale. I’m truly happy for Dr. Brown as well for following her dreams and passions in such an innovative way and glad to be a part of it.

To learn more about Dr. Sephus, visit www.thebeanpath.org and www.jxntechdistrict.com.