Nicholas Donofrio, MS

Fellow Emeritus and Executive Vice President, Innovation and Technology, IBM (retired)

Nicholas Donofrio photo

Nicholas Donofrio, MS, is a 44-year IBM Veteran who led IBM's technology and innovation strategies from 1997 until his retirement in October 2008. He also was Vice Chairman of the IBM International Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Governors for the IBM Academy of Technology. Mr. Donofrio's most recent responsibilities included IBM Research, Governmental Programs, Technical Support & Quality, Corporate Community Relations, and Environmental Health & Product Safety. Also reporting to Mr. Donofrio were the senior executives responsible for IBM's enterprise on demand transformation. In addition, Mr. Donofrio led the development and retention of IBM's technical population and enriched that community with a diversity of culture and thought. In 2008, IBM Chairman Sam Palmisano elected Mr. Donofrio as IBM Fellow, the company's highest technical honor. Mr. Donofino is the holder of seven patents and a member of many technical and science honor societies.

Mr. Donofrio served for many years on the Board of Directors for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) and was NACME's Board chair from 1997 through 2002. He also served for several years on the Board of Directors for INROADS, a non-profit organization focused on the training and development of talented minority youth for professional careers in business and industry. He presently is co-chair of the New York Hall of Science. In 2005, Mr. Donofrio was appointed by the U.S. Department of Education to serve on the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, a 20-member delegation of business and university leaders charged with developing a new national strategy for post-secondary education that will meet the needs of America's diverse population.

Mr. Donofrio earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science degree in the same discipline from Syracuse University. He has received numerous honorary doctorate degrees from universities around the world.