Palm, Inc.

Jeffrey Hawkins is the founder of Palm Computing and Handspring . He has since turned to work on neuroscience full-time, founded the Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience in 2002, and published On Intelligence describing his memory-prediction framework theory of the brain. In 2003 he was... elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering "for the creation of the hand-held computing paradigm and the creation of the first commercially successful example of a hand-held computing device." Hawkins also serves on the Advisory Board of the Secular Coalition for America and offers advice to the coalition on the acceptance and inclusion of nontheism in American life. Hawkins grew up with an inventive family on the north shore of Long Island. They developed a floating air cushion platform that was used for waterfront concerts. He attended Cornell University, where he received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1979.
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Eric Benhamou's professional and personal accomplishments center on the creation and intelligent deployment of information technology towards... improving the performance of businesses and non-profits and the quality of life of individuals around the world. Eric Benhamou is chairman and CEO of Benhamou Global Ventures, LLC. Benhamou Global Ventures, started in 2003, invests and plays an active role in innovative high tech firms throughout the world. Mr. Benhamou is also the chairman of the board of directors of 3Com Corporation and Palm, Inc. He is an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise at INSEAD. He served as chief executive officer of Palm, Inc. from October 2001 until October 2003. Benhamou served as chief executive officer of 3Com Corporation from September 1990 until December 31, 2000. In 1981, Mr. Benhamou co-founded Bridge Communications, an early networking pioneer, and was vice president of engineering until its merger with 3Com in 1987. Before joining Bridge Communications, he worked four years at Zilog, Inc., serving as project manager, software engineering manager and design engineer. In 2003, Mr. Benhamou was appointed to the Joint High Level Advisory Panel of the U.S.- Israel Science and Technology Commission by U.S. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans. In 1997, former President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Benhamou to the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee which advises the President on research and development focal points of federal programs to maintain United States leadership in advanced computing and communications technologies and their applications. In 1998, Mr. Benhamou was recognized by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the Foreign Investor Jubilee Award. That same year, Benhamou received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which pays homage to the immigrant experience, as well as individual achievement to U.S. citizens from various ethnic backgrounds. In 1998, he became a Fellow of the International Engineering Consortium. He is a graduate of the American Leadership Forum, which seeks to revitalize leadership within communities across the nation. In 1997, Benhamou received the Medaille Nessim Habif from Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers, Paris. In 1992, he received the President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Award, the United States' highest environmental award. Mr. Benhamou currently serves as chairman of the board of Cypress Semiconductor and as a member of the board of directors of RealNetworks, Inc and of Silicon Valley Bancshares. He serves on the board of directors of privately held companies, Atrica, WisdomArk, Finjan and GO Networks. He serves on the Venture Capital Advisory Board of 3i. He serves on the board of the New America Foundation, a Washington DC-based think tank. Mr. Benhamou serves on the executive committee of TechNet. He also serves on the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board , and as a member of the board of Smart Valley. In addition, he serves on the boards of the INSEAD School of Business, the Stanford University School of Engineering and Ben Gurion University of the Negev. He is the chairman of the Israel Venture Network, a venture philanthropy organization for a stronger Israeli society. Mr. Benhamou, 51, holds honorary doctoral degrees from Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Widener University, Western Governors University and the University of South Carolina. He has a Master of Science degree from Stanford University's School of Engineering and a Diplôme d'Ingénieur from Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers, Paris.
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