Photo by University of Washington
Each year, the Allen School recognizes outstanding former students with exceptional records of achievement with the Alumni Impact Award. This year’s honorees David Dawson (B.S., ‘06) and Nodira Khoussainova (Ph.D., ‘12) have combined their computing skillset with their entrepreneurial spirit to build companies that are making a positive impact in people’s lives.
“David and Nodira are exceptional role models for our graduates. They demonstrate how you can bring the technical skills unique to a computing education to bear on matters of community and societal well being that we can all relate to,” said Dan Grossman, professor and vice director of the Allen School. “Their passion as entrepreneurs springs from this through line from technical problem solving to finding important issues others have overlooked.”
Dawson and Khoussainova will be formally honored at the 2026 Allen School graduation celebration on June 12 — showcasing to a new class of alumni what can be accomplished with an Allen School education.
David Dawson (B.S., ‘06): Building meaningful startups with the “right mix of mission, people and opportunity.”
