Kirby Dyess, First Woman Recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award & Don Kania, Technology Executive of the Year
Awards Presented May 9, 2012 at the Portland Art Museum
Portland, OR – February 10, 2012 – TechAmerica Oregon announced today the selection of Dr. Don Kania, President and Chief Executive Officer of FEI Company, as the 2012 Technology Executive of the Year and Ms. Kirby Dyess, Principal of Austin Capital Management, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Both awards will be presented at this year’s Oregon Technology Awards ceremony to be held at the Portland Art Museum on May 9, 2012.
“Both Don and Kirby represent the best of the Oregon tech community,” said Kari Naone, TechAmerica’s interim Regional Vice President for Oregon. “We are thrilled to be able to honor their outstanding contribution to our community and the industry as a whole at our spectacular event.”
The Oregon Technology Executive of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards are chosen by a selection committee comprised of the program’s previous Technology Executive of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Nominations are generated by the committee and from the technology community at large.
Dr. Don Kania has been FEI’s President and Chief Executive Officer since 2006. He has expanded FEI solutions in traditional markets of materials science and semiconductors into new industries worldwide, such as natural resources (including oil and mining operations) and life sciences. FEI is a leading diversified scientific instruments company, featuring electron and ion-beam microscopes and other instruments for nanoscale applications across many industries.
“I am proud to represent all of FEI’s employees around the globe in receiving this important recognition from TechAmerica,” said Dr. Kania.
Kirby Dyess is the first woman awarded the TechAmerica Lifetime Achievement Award.
When informed of her selection Ms. Dyess noted, “I am truly honored and humbled by the selection. I have been blessed to have worked for and with some of the greatest leaders who always pushed me beyond what I thought I could do and taught me so very much, and a family who always encouraged me to take some risks. I thank TechAmerica for the award and the selection committee for their consideration and support.”
In 2003, Ms. Dyess formed, and is currently the Principal of Austin Capital Management LLC, where she evaluates, invests in, and assists early stage companies. Previously, Ms. Dyess worked for Intel Corporation for 23 years, where she held a variety of positions including Vice President and Director of Human Resources, Vice President and Director of New Business Development, and Director of Operations for Intel Capital. Currently Kirby severs on the board of directors of three public companies, Chairs the board of Prolifiq SW Inc. and serves as a director for Compli, both privately owned companies.
To learn more about this year’s Oregon Technology Awards program, brought to you by TechAmerica Oregon and presented by Cresa Portland and UnitedHealthcare, please visit http://www.oregontechawards.com.
###
About TechAmerica
TechAmerica is the leading voice for the U.S. technology industry – the driving force behind productivity growth and jobs creation in the United States and the foundation of the global innovation economy. Representing approximately 1,000 member companies of all sizes from the public and commercial sectors of the economy, it is the industry’s largest advocacy organization and is dedicated to helping members’ top and bottom lines. TechAmerica is also the technology industry’s only grassroots-to-global advocacy network, with offices in state capitals around the United States, Washington, D.C., Europe (Brussels) and Asia (Beijing). Learn more about TechAmerica at www.techamerica.org.
