Mr. James C. Morgan

James C. Morgan is chairman emeritus of Applied Materials. He previously served as chairman of the board from 1987 to 2009 and as chief executive officer from 1977 to 2003. Prior to joining Applied Materials as president in 1976, he was a senior partner with WestVen Management, a private venture capital partnership affiliated with the Bank of America Corporation. Prior to WestVen, he was with Textron, a leading diversified manufacturing company. With one of the longest tenures of any FORTUNE 500 CEO, Mr. Morgan has an extensive history in business and philanthropy. Mr. Morgan is a recipient of the 1996 National Medal of Technology for his industry leadership and for his vision in building Applied Materials into the world's leading semiconductor equipment company, a major exporter and a global technology pioneer which helps enable the Information Age. Awarded by the President of the United States, the Medal of Technology recognizes technological innovators who have made lasting contributions to America's competitiveness and standard of living. Among his many honors, Mr. Morgan is a recent recipient of the prestigious Semiconductor Industry Association Robert N. Noyce Award, the highest honor bestowed by the SIA, for outstanding achievement and leadership in support of the U.S. semiconductor industry, and the Spirit of Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, for his ethics, community engagement and business success. In 2003, Mr. Morgan was sworn in by President George W. Bush as vice chairman of the President's Export Council, the premier national advisory body on international trade. He was appointed to the 2002 U.S.-Japan Private Sector Government Commission and co-chaired the sessions on corporate governance. From 1996 to 1997, Mr. Morgan served on the Commission on U.S.-Pacific Trade and Investment Policy which advised President Bill Clinton and Congress on steps the United States should take to achieve significant additional market access and improve trade relationships in the Asia-Pacific region. From 1988 to 1992, he served on the National Advisory Committee on Semiconductors, which advised President George H. W. Bush and Congress on a national strategy to strengthen competitiveness of the U.S. semiconductor industry.