John E. Kelly III, senior vice president
and group executive of the IBM Technology Group, has been named to the College's
Board of Trustees, it was announced by President Roger H. Hull.
Kelly received a bachelor of
science degree in physics from Union in 1976.
“We are thrilled to have John
Kelly on our Board,” Hull said.
“John's leadership and experience have served this College well for years.
Given John's strengths, his homecoming as a trustee will be instrumental to the
success of our Converging Technologies initiative. John has been a leader in
technology through his work with IBM, and he has been a key player in his
company's partnership with the College.”
“Union
College has a long history of being
a very high quality liberal arts and engineering college,” said Kelly. “This
unique blend, coupled with a strong undergraduate research program and
innovative programs such as converging technologies, provides its graduates
with the skills to continue to learn and succeed in the world. I am delighted to become a Trustee and to
help guide Union College
in its third century as a leading higher education institution.”
Last year, Kelly and two other
Union alumni – Steven A. Mills '73, senior vice president and group executive,
Software Group; and Robert W. Moffat, Jr. '78, senior vice president,
Integrated Supply Chain – visited campus for “IBM Day at Union.”
The visit celebrated the launch of
a collaboration in which IBM is assisting the College through a combination of
software access, software development, visiting faculty, and a variety of
sophisticated equipment, such as an atomic force microscope for a
nanotechnology materials lab and several high-powered computer workstations. Union
also has access, for faculty and student research, to an IBM supercomputer at
the University at Albany.
During IBM Day, Kelly said the
support is part of IBM's ongoing desire to enhance a strong technical presence
at select leading colleges and universities. “This is an investment in the
future of the College, the Capital District, and New
York State,” he
said.
Union
College faculty members in the liberal
arts and engineering are introducing the Converging Technologies concepts of
bioengineering, mechatronics, nanotechnology, and pervasive computing into the
curriculum. The initiative has three aims: to introduce converging technologies
courses to all students, to create new upper-level courses for science and
engineering majors, and to prepare new content in existing courses to emphasize
Converging Technologies concepts.
Kelly is responsible for
developing, manufacturing and marketing IBM's microelectronics technologies,
products and services.
Prior to assuming his current
role, he was general manager of IBM's Microelectronics Division, responsible
for IBM's worldwide microelectronics business, which offers customers the
world's most advanced semiconductor products and designs.
He joined IBM in 1980. Between
1980 and 1990, he held numerous management and technical positions related to
the development and manufacturing of IBM's advanced semiconductor technologies.
In 1990, he was named director of IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development
Center. In 1994, he was appointed
vice president of business process reengineering for the Microelectronics
Division.
In 1995, he was named vice
president of systems, technology and science for the IBM Research Division. In
this role, Kelly was responsible for the company's most advanced research
activities. The following year, he was named vice president of strategy,
technology and operations for the Microelectronics Division. In 1997, he was
appointed vice president of server development (from work stations to
supercomputers) for IBM.
In January 1999, he became general
manager of the Microelectronics Division; he assumed his current position in
September of 2000.
Besides his Union degree, Kelly received
a master of science degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in
1978, and his doctorate in materials engineering from RPI in 1980.
He is a board member and former
chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association. He is also a Fellow of the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers.