James Truchard

James Joseph Truchard (born June 25, 1943, in Austin County, Texas) is an American billionaire, electrical engineer, and a businessman who is the co-founder and former president and CEO of National Instruments, a company producing automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. Truchard is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Biography Truchard was born June 25, 1943, in Austin County, Texas, the fourth of seven children born to Joe Truchard and Lillie Schneider. Truchard earned a B.S. and an M.S. in physics, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Following his graduation, Truchard worked as managing director of the acoustical measurements division at the U.T. Applied Research Laboratories. Working with colleagues Jeff Kodosky and Bill Nowlin, Truchard was part of a project conducting research for the U.S. Navy that allowed them to use early computer technology to collect and analyze data. Frustrated with the inefficient data collection methods they were using, the three decided to create a product that would enable their task to be done more easily. In 1976, working in the garage at Truchard's home, the three founded National Instruments and began designing an interface board.

The group hired their first employee, Kim Harrison-Hoson in 1977 to process orders and deal with customers.

Affectionately known to his employees as "Dr. T", Truchard insists that he and others in the management structure at NI remain accessible to their employees. On January 1, 2017, Truchard retired as president and CEO. He continued to hold his position as chairman of the board until his resignation in September 2018.

Professional activities and recognition Shortly after the development of LabVIEW, in 1987 Truchard received one of the first Texas High Technology Entrepreneur awards. Twelve years later he was awarded a Texas High Technology Master Entrepreneur of the Year honor. He was named one of the nation's 50 Best CEOs in three consecutive years by Worth Magazine. In 2002, Truchard was inducted into the Electronic Design Engineering Hall of Fame, and the following year he was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. He has also been named a University of Texas Distinguished Engineering Graduate. In 2007, Truchard was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering for creating 'virtual instrumentation,' which enabled the rapid development of customized measurement systems in industry, academia, and classrooms. In 2018 he was the recipient of Armenia's Global High-Tech Award.

Truchard is a member and former chairman of the Engineering Foundation Advisory Council, and is a member of the University of Texas Chancellor's Council. He previously served on the UT Electrical and Computer Engineering Visiting Committee, and was a founding member of the Austin Software Council. Texas governor Rick Perry appointed Truchard to the state's Advisory Council on the Digital Economy and invited Truchard to chair the Texas Science, Technology, and Math Industry Advisory Council, which seeks to reverse the declining interest of young people in technical careers. In August 2015 he married Marci Truchard. As of March 2018, he is worth an estimated $1.1 billion. Truchard is heavily invested in the advancement and curing of Alzheimer's disease and funds projects, such as the Oskar Fischer Project, to do so.