Dr. James TruchardPresident and CEO
In 1986, Truchard and Jeff Kodosky invented LabVIEW graphical development software. With LabVIEW, engineers and scientists can quickly and intuitively build a customer-defined solution for measurement and automation. The intuitive graphical environment of LabVIEW revolutionized the way engineers and scientists work, much like the spreadsheet provided a new way for financial professionals to do their jobs. When combined with continuously improving computer-based measurement hardware, LabVIEW programs, known as "virtual instruments," create measurement systems that work at ever-increasing frequencies and resolutions. As NI has grown from a three-man team to a global organization with more than 4,000 employees, Truchard has led the company with a conservative, deliberate approach that has yielded steady company success. He has incited innovation, growth, and expansion in a highly successful, worldwide enterprise while maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit that spurred the start of the company. As a result, NI has seen 29 years of growth in its 30-year history. Truchard's long-term course for NI equally balances the success of its customers, employees, shareholders, and suppliers. Truchard and his management team have created such a winning corporate culture that FORTUNE magazine has named NI as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America for the past eight years. Truchard also is a recognized industry leader. In 2007 he was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering, what is widely considered to be the highest honor given in the engineering profession. He is one of only 156 Texans to be elected in the history of the Academy. Truchard was also named The University of Texas Distinguished Engineering Graduate and in 2003, he was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. In 2002, a leading electronics publication, Electronic Design, inducted Truchard into its Engineering Hall of Fame and in 2001, a global market consulting firm, Frost & Sullivan, honored him as the CEO of the Year for the test and measurement industry. In addition, Worth magazine named him one of the best CEOs for three consecutive years, emphasizing his focus on long-term growth and innovation. While successfully directing the company's innovation of industry-leading software and hardware, Truchard participates in many community organizations. He is a member and former chairman of the Engineering Foundation Advisory Council, works closely with The University of Texas at Austin as a member of the Chancellor's Council, and is a former member of the university's Electrical and Computer Engineering Visiting Committee. He is a founding member of the Austin Software Council and was a member of Texas Governor Rick Perry's Advisory Council on the Digital Economy. Truchard also is an active supporter of the NI LEGO® MINDSTORMS® program, which, in conjunction with Tufts University and the Pitsco LEGO Educational Division, seeks to introduce students from kindergarten through high school to basic engineering and computing skills. In 2005, Governor Perry asked Truchard to chair the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Industry Advisory Council, which directly addresses the declining interest and preparation of young people to pursue careers in technical fields. Before founding NI, Truchard worked as managing director of the acoustical measurements division at Applied Research Laboratories at The University of Texas at Austin. Truchard holds a doctorate in electrical engineering, as well as a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in physics, all from The University of Texas at Austin. James Truchard's Awards and Honors
Request a National Instruments employee to speak at your event. |
Dr. James Truchard, National Instruments president and CEO, cofounded the company in 1976 while working at The University of Texas at Austin. Under Truchard's leadership, National Instruments has pioneered the development of virtual instrumentation software and hardware that has revolutionized the way engineers approach measurement and automation applications.