Ken Washington, PhD

More than 35 years experience in leading and performing technical activities for Fortune 100 companies, government contractors, and research and development laboratories. Leadership experiences include building strong teams and setting the strategic vision and long range strategic plans for large organizations. Recipient of the 2024 Black Engineer of the Year, inducted into the National Academy of Engineers in 2020, and the Black Engineers Hall of Fame in 2023. Presently serving as Sr. VP, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Medtronic. I also serve as an independent board director for GenTherm, and board member for the Tech Interactive. Prior board roles include independent director for McKesson, board member of Desktop Metal, lead Automotive Sector VP for SAE International, and founding automotive member of the Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee. Also active in University strategic collaborations including membership on Texas A&M Engineering Advisory Board, chair of the University of Minnesota Innovation Council, and former member of the UC Innovation Council, and former chair of the University of Michigan Leadership Advisory Board. Key experiences and capabilities include: Public and Private board member experience Keynote speaker and media interactions Medical technology strategic leadership Consumer robotics software engineering Automotive research and development Space science and research Formerly Certified Information Privacy Professional Program and project managment Planning and leading new facility projects High performance and parallel computing technologies Collaborative system development and deployment Selling and leading cooperative research and development programs Resource optimization for work groups and larger organizations Executive level presentations and business plan development