Gerald D. “Jerry” Held 

Gerald D. “Jerry” Held received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1970 and spent six formative years at David Sarnoff Laboratories. His subsequent journey led to Silicon Valley, where he carved out one of the most successful technology careers in the industry. Held's expertise spans various domains. He has profoundly shaped computing and database technology, playing a central role in creating groundbreaking database innovations and establishing new companies. His pioneering work has included development of the INGRES database while at UC Berkeley, followed by his instrumental contribution to Tandem's growth from a startup to a company with more than $2 billion in annual revenue. At Oracle, Held steered the server products division during a period of extraordinary growth, overseeing a surge in annual revenue from $1.5 billion to $6 billion. His leadership extended beyond individual companies, as he served as “CEO-in-residence” at Kleiner Perkins, providing strategic guidance and mentorship to emerging ventures. Held's influence in the technology sector is further underscored by his roles as lead director of Business Objects until its acquisition by SAP and as executive chairman of Vertica until its purchase by Hewlett-Packard. Currently, he serves as chairman of Tamr and sits on the boards of Informatica, NetApp, Kalio, MemSQL, and Copia Global. Purdue honored Held with an Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award in 1997 and a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 2001.