Established by the Association of Rice Alumni in 2005, the Builders Award honors recent alumni who have made outstanding contributions to Rice since graduation.
Past winners include notable regional alumni leaders, Annual Fund volunteers, affinity group trailblazers and other recent alumni who are committed to supporting Rice and its community of students and alumni through their dedication of time, talent and energy. Each has demonstrated one or more of the following:
- Sustained support of the Rice community through meaningful service and involvement.
- Provided guidance and leadership to current Rice students and/or fellow alumni.
- Enhanced the reputation of the university by representing Rice’s core values of respect, integrity, community and excellence.
- Dedicated time, talent and energy to advance the Rice community.
We invite you to recognize alumni who have graduated in the last 10 years who are building a better future for the university by nominating candidates for the award. Please submit a nomination.
Meet the 2024 Honorees
Tim Harrison ’20
At Rice, Tim Harrison conducted research in psychology, competed on the basketball team and served as president of the Black Male Leadership Initiative. He continued to contribute to Rice through guest lecturing, conducting research and using his spoken word performances to foster critical discussions on belonging and identity. In the four years since graduation, Tim founded EPOG Academy, a nonprofit that leverages coaching and personal development to empower youth in underserved communities to take control of their future. Their latest initiative utilizes Generative AI to provide scalable coaching experiences that help students to navigate personal, academic and professional goals.
Outside of the nonprofit, Tim is the CEO of ONUS Leadership, a coaching and consulting firm where he has coached leaders at companies including Schlumberger, MD Anderson and Spotify. He also delivers talks and consults supporting organizations in implementing Generative AI solutions to improve their business outcomes. He currently oversees coaching on a $3M multi-year study backed by the National Institute of Health in collaboration with researchers from Rutgers University. The study examines the impact of coaching on biomedical Ph.D. student success, particularly those from underrepresented groups. Recognized for his innovations in coaching, Tim was invited to serve as one of eight members on the Global Taskforce for Coaching and AI by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is a member of Marshall Goldsmith’s Forefront group, a distinguished accelerator for rising stars in leadership development.
Vivas Kumar ’14
In less than a decade since graduating from Rice, Vivas Kumar has served in key roles, including on the ARA Board (3 years) and Rice Engineering Alumni Board (5+ years), where he chaired multiple committees. He has also remained involved with Engineers Without Borders for over 10 years and continues to mentor young Rice alumni, especially engineers. Recognized as a rising star in a critical global industry, Vivas brings positive exposure to Rice through his accomplishments.
Vivas is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mitra Chem, the first lithium-ion battery materials manufacturer focused on drastically shortening the lab-to-production timeline. Previously, he was a senior manager on Tesla’s Battery Team, leading multi-billion-dollar contract negotiations across the global supply chain. Vivas holds engineering degrees from Rice and an MBA from Stanford and continues to mentor Rice students.
Past Honorees
Explore the history of the Builders Awards with a complete list of honorees dating back to the inaugural ceremony in 2005.
