John Thode

John is a widely recognized technology leader who has architected and led the growth of a multitude of businesses, as Chairman, Board Member, CEO, and senior executive. A successful intra/entrepreneur, he built profitable businesses ranging from startups to multi-billion-dollar companies in the mobility, computing, security and imaging sectors.

As president of DigitalOptics Corp. he led a highly differentiated imaging products portfolio using computational optics and MEMS actuators. Over his 35-year career, John has been a significant leader in technology innovation contributing to the development of the first cellular system (AMPS), the first smartphone (Motorola), the world’s first 3G cellphone with video chat, and the world’s first touchscreen-only smartphone. At Dell, John led teams that developed countless innovations in tablets and convertibles.

John has also served on several boards of directors including Illinois Super Conductor, Symbian Ltd. and Ancient Oaks Foundation, a nonprofit he and his wife founded in 2014.

Thode has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He also holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois – Champaign.