Overview

Gender

male

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, James Morgan has an extensive history in business and philanthropy. James 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, James Morgan is a recipient of the prestigious IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal for his vision and leadership that transformed Applied Materials into an innovation leader and global partner for advancing microelectronics manufacturing technology.

He received the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA)’s Robert N. Noyce Award, the association’s highest honor, for outstanding achievement and leadership in support of the U.S. semiconductor industry; and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Spirit of Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award for his ethics, community engagement and business success.

In 2003, James 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, James 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.

James Morgan has been recognized around the world for his leadership in the community. As co-founders of the Northern Sierra Partnership, Jim and his wife Becky have focused their efforts on conserving bio-diverse land in the California Sierra Nevada Mountains.

He is active with the Nature Conservancy, a global nonprofit organization which focuses on programs “Protecting Nature and Preserving Life”, serving as a member of the board of directors, past co-chair of its Asia-Pacific Council, and as a trustee of the Nature Conservancy of California.

James Morgan is an advisory board member for the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Santa Clara University. Instrumental in the creation of the Tech Museum Awards which launched in 2000, James Morgan inspired the program’s James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award, which honors individuals whose broad vision and leadership help address humanity’s greatest challenges.

He formerly was a member of the board of directors of Cisco Systems, Inc. from 1998 to 2006 and is director emeritus and past president of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), the first global trade association.

James Morgan is a past board member of the American Electronics Association (AEA), the National Center for APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and of SEMI/SEMATECH, the association of U.S. equipment companies which supplies advanced systems to the SEMATECH chipmaking consortium.

James Morgan is a member of the World Presidents' Organization. From 1994 to 1996, he was a board member of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, a leading community public/private collaborative. From 1986 to 1991 he was co-chairman of the Japan-Western U.S. Association.

James Morgan's contributions have been honored by many business, education and community organizations throughout his career.