Dr. James Truchard and Jeff Kodosky cofounded National Instruments in 1976, establishing themselves as visionary leaders and technology pioneers. Together, along with cofounder Bill Nowlin, they created NI out of a three-person garage office and have developed it into one of the world’s most progressive multinational companies.
Today, NI equips engineers and scientists with tools that accelerate innovation and discovery, helping its customers address the most pressing issues the world faces. The company’s corporate responsibility efforts advance this mission by providing access to technology for engineers who face extraordinary economic or other obstacles in achieving their goals and by partnering with education organizations to further the knowledge and love of engineering and science in the next generation.
Through its development of complete teaching solutions and collaboration with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), the LEGO® Group and universities worldwide, NI has engaged students with technology in a fun, hands-on learning environment, encouraging students to become future leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Not only is NI hardware and software used as part of FIRST and LEGO robotics programs, hundreds of NI employees volunteer as mentors in classroom and after-school programs and competitions around the world.
National Instruments also is dedicated to delivering on sustainable business practices to ensure long-term company success and fostering a strong culture of innovation, discovery and fun for all employees. As NI president and CEO, Dr. Truchard has created a work environment that not only attracts top talent, but also creates quality jobs and a quality way of life for the members of the NI family. The company has recently been recognized as one of the top 25 multinational workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute and FORTUNE magazine. Truchard is internationally regarded for his entrepreneurial spirit, technological foresight and steadfast leadership of the company.
NI Business and Technology Fellow Jeff Kodosky has also been instrumental in the growth of NI, designing and implementing one of the company’s preeminent platforms, NI LabVIEW system design software. LabVIEW has been integral in creating smarter, life-altering technologies that improve human life and the health of the planet and is central to robotics programs designed to enhance engineering education. LabVIEW was recognized by Electronic Design magazine as one of the “Top 50 Milestones for the Industry.”
Readers can visit www.ni.com/citizenship for more information about NI Citizenship.
About the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the national, living memorial honoring President Woodrow Wilson. The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. Created by an Act of Congress in 1968, The Wilson Center is a non-partisan institution headquartered in Washington, D.C. and supported by both public and private funds.
About National Instruments
National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with its largest customer representing approximately 4 percent of revenue in 2010 and no one industry representing more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has approximately 6,100 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the past 12 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.
