AeA CEO to Retire

Washington, DC (June 7, 2007) - The Board of Directors of AeA announced today that William T. Archey, its CEO, has announced that he will be retiring.

Mr. Archey stated, “In the spring of 2006, I told the Executive Committee of the AeA Board that it was my intent to retire at around the time of my 65th birthday in February of 2008. By that time, I will have been the CEO for over 13 years. It has been a genuine pleasure and privilege to have represented the American high-tech industry, but I also believe that it is time for fresh talent and fresh ideas to deal with the challenges facing the high-tech industry for the next decade.”

Tim Guertin, the CEO of Varian Medical Systems and the current Chairman of AeA said, “Bill has had an extraordinary track record as AeA’s CEO. He has been with AeA during the boom time of the high-tech industry and when the high-tech bubble burst in 2000-2001. Early in his tenure, Bill created a research group which has published for ten years “Cyberstates” the definitive source for high-tech jobs, salaries, and exports in all fifty states. Seven years ago, Bill rejuvenated the AeA state policy program which has become the preeminent resource for high-tech companies dealing with policy issues in the state houses. More recently, Bill has been a singular leader in elevating the awareness of members of Congress including the Democratic leadership on the profound competitiveness challenges facing America. We are delighted that Bill will be staying for an indefinite period of time to help both in the recruitment of his successor and in overlapping with his successor to ensure that AeA doesn’t lose a beat.”

Anna Eshoo, Democratic Representative from Silicon Valley stated, "For 15 years in Congress, I've been honored to work with Bill Archey. No one is as respected as he is on the critical issues of the high technology industry, and he will be missed by those of us who have come to rely on his keen judgment and extraordinary knowledge of technology, trade, and global economics. AeA has been served extraordinarily well by this Washington leader. I wish Bill every blessing as he moves on to the next chapter of life. No one deserves it more."

Tom Edman, Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions and the Emerging Business Group at Applied Materials, the immediate past chairman of AeA, noted “I had the opportunity to get to know Bill very well during my years on the AeA board and especially when I was the chairman. I greatly admire Bill’s leadership and managerial skills. Bill also is open in his opinions and can be quite feisty at times. I must say that I learned to rather enjoy that trait. Bill’s leadership in Washington D.C. and the Silicon Valley will be greatly missed by all the 2,500 AeA member companies. ”

Korn Ferry, the executive search firm, has been selected to conduct the search for Mr. Archey’s successor.

For more information about AeA, please visit www.aeanet.org.

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About AeA
AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association with 2,500 member companies representing all segments of the high-tech industry, is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels, providing access to capital and business opportunities, and offering select business services and networking programs. For more information, please visit http://www.aeanet.org.

This page was last updated on 06/08/07.