Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang to Keynote Utah Technology Council’s 2008 Hall of Fame

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Utah Technology Council is excited to announce Jerry Yang, CEO and Chief Yahoo of Yahoo! Inc., as the keynote speaker for its 10th annual Hall of Fame black-tie gala. The 2008 Hall of Fame will begin with networking at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 24, 2008, at the Grand Ballroom of the Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City.

“The Hall of Fame is widely regarded as the premier event for technology companies and leaders,” said Richard R. Nelson, president and CEO of UTC and chairman and CEO of the national Technology Councils of North America (TECNA). “The Hall of Fame is a unique platform for honoring and recognizing individuals whose technology innovations have shaped our culture. Jerry Yang’s Yahoo! career exemplifies the HOF ideals, and we are honored to be able to hear from him.”

Jerry Yang

Jerry Yang, a Taiwanese native raised in San Jose, Calif., co-created the Yahoo! Internet navigational guide in April 1994 with David Filo and co-founded Yahoo! Inc. in April 1995. He was appointed chief executive officer of the company in June 2007. Mr. Yang has been instrumental in building Yahoo! into the world's most highly trafficked Web site and one of the world's most recognized brands.

Since the company's founding, Mr. Yang has been a key member of the executive management team. His focus at Yahoo! over the years has included corporate strategy, Yahoo!'s technology vision, strategic business partnerships and international joint ventures, and recruiting key talent.

In addition to serving on the Yahoo! Board of Directors, Mr. Yang currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cisco Systems, Yahoo! Japan, and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., and is also on the Stanford University Board of Trustees. Mr. Yang holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University and is currently on a leave of absence from Stanford's electrical engineering Ph.D. program.

The “Hall of Fame” event honors individuals with Utah ties who have made key contributions to the information technology and life science industries through new technology, innovation and leadership. These contributions have resulted in job growth, commercialization of technology and increased growth and development of the nation’s technology sector and economy. Former inductees into the UTC Hall of Fame include Stephen Aldous, Alan Ashton, David Bailey, Bruce Bastian, Nolan Bushnell, Edwin E. Catmull, James Clark, Bernard Daines, David Evans, Philo Taylor Farnsworth, Jim Kajiya, Alan Kay, Spencer Kirk, Drew Major, Raymond Noorda, Dinesh Patel, Shane V. Robinson, Kevin Rollins, James LeVoy Sorenson, David Spafford, Thomas Stockham, Jr., Ivan Sutherland, Homer Warner and John E. Warnock.

The Hall of Fame celebration is the largest technology gathering of the year. For information on sponsorships, tables or individual tickets, visit www.utahtech.org or contact Mark Lehnhof at (801) 568-3500 or mark@utahtechcouncil.org. Proceeds help foster the growth of Utah’s technology community.

UTC invites members of Utah’s technology industries, as well as business and community leaders to attend this year’s gala to hear Mr. Yang’s insights.