Loveland Joins the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society 
With her most recent gift to the Mitchell Institute, Charis Loveland, the 1998 Mitchell Scholar from Bonny Eagle High School, a Bates College graduate, and global program manager for Amazon Web Services’ EPIC Emotional Intelligence Program, became the 19th and newest member of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society.
The Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society recognizes Mitchell Scholar alumni who have followed the example of the late Truc Huynh, a remarkably gifted and altruistic Scholar alumnus who passed away at the age of 40 in mid-June 2022. As part of his legacy of paying it forward, Truc made financial contributions to the Mitchell Institute at a level that matched and eventually surpassed the entire amount of the Scholarship award that he received in support of his education at Bowdoin College.
Loveland, whose financial contributions to the Mitchell Institute have been made through annual fund giving and Gala ticket purchases, says supporting Mitchell Scholars is an important way to honor Truc’s generosity.
“Truc Huynh was my dear friend Trung (Troy) Huynh’s brother,” Loveland said. “Trung and I graduated together from Bates College in 2002. The Huynh family exemplifies what it means to be from Maine — they are kind, selfless, and generous. I’m honored to remember and support Truc’s legacy of service.”
In addition to making financial contributions to the Mitchell Institute, Loveland also has shared her expertise in emotional intelligence with Mitchell Scholars and alumni by serving as a presenter at MILE II, the day-long career and professional development program held at and sponsored by Unum in March. Providing Scholars and alumni with coaching remains one of her most satisfying professional experiences.
“The Mitchell Institute is my highest philanthropic priority because of the impact I see with sharing my experiences with Scholars,” she said. “I love being able to influence these bright young minds and share wisdom I wish I’d learned earlier in my career. I was so touched to receive a note from a fellow Bates grad Mitchell Scholar after one MILE II, who wrote, ‘I have never met anyone who grew up nearby that shares my interest in technology and finished a college degree, so it was really wonderful to hear about your experience and the lessons you have learned along the way.’ It’s the ability to make that kind of impact that keeps me coming back, year after year.”
Loveland led the dynamic session “Climbing the Ladder: Building Your Brand” at the 2024 edition of MILE II at Unum.
Loveland said she also contributes to the Mitchell Institute as a means of paying it forward for current and future generations of Mitchell Scholars.
“I have always felt supported and inspired by my Mitchell Institute community members, scholars, and staff. In addition to my initial scholarship, the Mitchell Institute has supported my volunteer efforts and my MBA with fellowships,” said Loveland, who graduated summa cum laude from the MBA in High Tech program at Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business.
“It’s a mutually rewarding community with some of my favorite people,” she said. “As my dad Chuck says about the Mitchell Institute and attending its events, ‘You will meet and be inspired by some of Maine’s best and brightest stars!’”
Loveland joined Amazon Web Services in 2019, leading AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning) strategy for AWS’s Cloud Intelligence team. She now works full time as the global program manager for the AWS EPIC emotional intelligence program. Before joining Amazon, Loveland worked independently in AI product strategy and taught courses in data science at MIT, Columbia, and Dartmouth, as well as product management, agile, metrics, and communication for General Assembly.
Prior to that, Charis founded Rue La La’s data science team. At Microsoft, she launched a global crowdsourcing platform for data scientists and previously led technical projects at EMC and SAP. She began her career as an editor, teaching people how to use SAP software, and has been translating technology to business stakeholders ever since. She is an Emotional Intelligence evangelist, IDE ambassador, Class Chat coach, and Hour of Code organizer.
Jared Cash, President and CEO of the Mitchell Institute, thanked Loveland for her contributions to the Mitchell Institute over the years that resulted in her membership in the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society.
“We are deeply grateful to Charis for making the success of current and future Mitchell Scholars a philanthropic priority through her financial generosity and sharing her vast knowledge of emotional intelligence and the tech world,” Cash said. “Her thought leadership continues to inspire Scholars and alumni to consider careers in tech and AI, and we always look forward to having her dynamism as part of our programs.”
Membership in the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society can happen through a multi-year pledge, steady giving over many years, or a single gift to the Mitchell Institute. New and founding members of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society are invited to attend an annual reception to celebrate their philanthropic commitment to supporting the Mitchell Institute. If you are interested in learning more about the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society, please contact Mitchell Institute Director of Development Jeff Candura. See all members of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society.