Mountain Brook, Alabama, seems a long way from Washington, D.C., but one resident is making her name known in the tech world. Jessica Medeiros Garrison was recently listed on the “Washingtonian” magazine’s list of “Washington’s Most Powerful Women,” Village Living reported.
Garrison works as vice president of government affairs for Clearview AI, a facial recognition tech company. She was recognized under the category of lobbying and advocacy for her role in helping to sell Clearview AI’s technology.
Clearview AI is based out of New York City. The company has a database of more than 10 billion images taken from social media, websites, news articles, criminal databases, and other public sources.
The company uses its search engine technology to help law enforcement and government agencies identify suspects, solve crimes and provide justice to victims. Clearview AI was named to Time magazine’s inaugural list of the “100 Most Influential Companies” in 2021.
“We are now recognized as the most accurate algorithm in the Western world,” Garrison said.
“There are trillions of publicly available images on the Internet, which provide a tremendous capability for identifying investigative leads and clues to solve crimes and save victims,” she said. “This resonates with me on such a deep level — that this broad and wide-sweeping technology can actually provide a path to setting wrongs right.”
When asked about being named one of Washington’s most powerful women, Garrison stated, “I was completely surprised when a friend forwarded me a photo of the announcement article,” she said. “I am humbled, and a bit overwhelmed.”
“The fact that my work and my calling are making a difference fuels me to work even harder,” she said.
“When you are fortunate enough to be in a position to effect change, you assume a certain measure of responsibility,” she said. “I take my opportunities to influence opinions and to help shape outcomes seriously, envisioning the outcome for the people who will be most impacted.”
After graduating from the University of Alabama in 1997, Garrison served as director of legislative affairs and public information in the office of Bill Pryor while he was Alabama Attorney General. She graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2000.
Garrison also served as executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association and managed Luther Strange’s 2010 campaign for Alabama Attorney General.
Although originally born in Rhode Island, Garrison loves Mountain Brook.
“I feel like Mountain Brook is home, and I love it,” Garrison said. “Mountain Brook is all about the people. Not only are they kind and caring, but also these are people who achieve in the world. They’re in medicine and business, in law and entrepreneurship. They constantly inspire me as leaders and visionaries who aim to make the world a better place.”
