Chuck will describe the lessons learned on the journey from a Silicon Valley start-up to becoming a major player in the software industry. He will discuss the impact of national support for science education in the 1960’s, the risk taking environment of Silicon Valley, the corporate culture that nurtures the growth of successful high-tech companies, and why that culture is critical when the times are tough.

Presenter Bio

Chuck Geschke, Adobe Chairman of the Board

Dr. Charles Geschke co-founded Adobe in 1982 with Dr. John Warnock. Through his vision and passion, Geschke helped build Adobe from a start-up into one of the world’s largest software companies. In 2000, Geschke retired from his position as Adobe president. Today, he and John Warnock are co-chairman of Adobe’s board of directors. Geschke’s outstanding technical and managerial achievements have been honored by industry and business leaders, including: the Association for Computing Machinery; Carnegie-Mellon University; the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); the National Computer Graphics Association; and the Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2000, he was ranked as the seventh most influential graphics person of the last millennium by Graphic Exchange magazine. Geschke is a recipient of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award and the Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch and Inc. Magazine. Geschke received the Medal of Achievement from the American Electronics Association in 2006. Geschke is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and serves on the boards of several educational institutions, arts and non-profit organizations. He is on the board of trustees for the University of San Francisco and is a member of the computer science advisory board of Carnegie-Mellon University. He also serves on the boards of the San Francisco Symphony, the Commonwealth Club of California, the Egan Maritime Foundation, the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club and Tableau Software. Prior to co-founding Adobe, Geschke formed the Imaging Sciences Laboratory at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center where he directed research activities in the fields of computer science, graphics, image processing and optics. Previously, he was a principal scientist and researcher at Xerox PARC’s Computer Sciences Laboratory. Geschke holds a doctorate in computer science from Carnegie-Mellon University as well as a master’s degree in mathematics and an A.B. in classics, both from Xavier University.