Applied Wisdom for Nonprofits: Eight Practical Tools for Leadership

James C. Morgan has worked extensively in the worlds of both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. He ran Applied Materials Inc. for nearly three decades-one of the longest tenures of any Fortune 500 CEO. The company was near bankruptcy when he joined; when he retired as CEO in 2003, Applied was a multi-billion-dollar global leader with more than 15,000 employees. Quite an achievement for a former Cayuga, Indiana, farm boy who grew up herding cows, harvesting corn, and working in his family's vegetable cannery. Along the way, Jim collected and tested his management principles in such realms as the military, the diversified conglomerate Textron, in venture capital, on corporate boards, and on government commissions. In the nonprofit arena he has served as both a California and a global director, and co-chair of the Asia Pacific Council of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). In 1993, along with his wife, Becky Morgan, a former California senator, he founded the Morgan Family Foundation. More recently, they founded the Northern Sierra Partnership, which fosters collaboration among conservation organizations in order to preserve and restore one of the world's great mountain ranges. Jim also served as Vice Chair of President George W. Bush's President's Export Council and as an adviser to President Bill Clinton and Congress on U.S.-Pacific trade and investment policy. He was an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO). He holds a BME and an MBA from Cornell. He co-authored the 1991 book, Cracking the Japanese Market: Strategies for Success in the New Global Economy. Among Jim's many recognitions are the Semiconductor Industries Award, the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Lifetime Achievement, the Tech Museum of Innovation Global Humanitarian Award, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Award, and TNC's Oak Leaf Award. In 1996, he was presented with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Bill Clinton.