A program directed by Elon University graduate Audrey Seagraves was named a 2009 Tech Awards Laureate cash prize winner of $50,000 for the "Fair Wage Guide," an online calculator managed by Seagraves to assist millions of workers in the developing world who live below the poverty level.
The nonprofit for which Seagraves works, World of Good Development Organization, was honored with the Katherine M. Swanson Equality Award at the 9th annual Tech Awards Gala in California in mid November. World of Good’s stated mission is to improve the lives of women living in poverty in the developing world by promoting ethical sourcing practices & training workers on their rights
Former Vice President Al Gore was a key presenter at the event and received the organization’s Global Humanitarian Award.
The Tech Awards honored 15 technologists, educators, scientists and entrepreneurs “who are using technology to improve our world,” according to the program’s web site. Laureates were chosen from hundreds of nominations representing 68 countries.
Seagraves joined World of Good in January 2006 and manages The Fair Wage Guide along with the micro-grants program, economic development fellows and the Living Wage Project. She also serves as chair of the World Fair Trade Organization’s Monitoring and Standards Committee.
Elon honored the School of Communications graduate in October as Young Alumna of the Year. At Elon, Seagraves distinguished herself as a member of the women’s soccer team, helping the squad capture the Big South Conference Championship in 2000. She was profiled in the fall 2009 issue of The Magazine of Elon.
She also excelled in the classroom, earning National All-Collegiate Scholar distinction as well as induction to the Alpha Chi and Phi Kappa Phi national academic honor societies.
The Tech Awards were created in 2000 by The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif., and are sponsored by major corporations and organizations. Partners include Applied Materials, Inc.; the United Nations Secretary-General’s Office and the UN Development Programme; the World Bank Institute; and several other organizations. Corporate sponsors include Intel, BD, Microsoft, The Swanson Foundation, Nokia and others.