Edgar S. Woolard Jr.

Edgar S. Woolard Jr. (born April 15, 1934) is an American businessman who was the chairman and chief executive officer of from 1989 to 1995 and a member of the Apple Board of Directors from 1996 to 2000.Woolard led Apple, Inc. back from the brink, College of Engineering News, NC State University. 2016-03-01.Apple board member to step down, ZDNet. 2000-03-08.
==Early life and education==
Woolard was born in 1934 in . He received a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from in 1956.BusinessWeek North Carolina State University biography He was a lieutenant in the .
==Career==
In 1957, Woolard joined DuPont as an industrial engineer in the plant, moving on to manufacturing and management positions in , and . He was CEO and chairman from 1989 to 1995. During that time, DuPont stock increased by 160 percent.
===Apple Computer===
Woolard joined the board of directors of Apple Computer in 1996 while it was in financial duress under then-CEO Gil Amelio. Woolard took over as board chairman in 1997 on the condition that he was given full access to CFO Fred Anderson and Apple's human resources director. Woolard then played a central role in convincing the board to remove Amelio and allow Apple co-founder Steve Jobs to take charge. Woolard and Gareth Chang were the only members to survive the subsequent purge of the board.Woolard led Apple, Inc. back from the brink, College of Engineering News, NC State University. 2016-03-01.Apple's Board Gets Aggressive As Woolard Takes a Lead Role by Jim Carlton, The Wall Street Journal. 1997-07-14. Woolard retired from the board on April 20, 2000.Apple board member to step down, ZDNet. 2000-03-08.
===Other ventures===
Woolard joined the board of directors of in 1998, and was its chairman from March 2000 to November 2003. He has been on the board of directors of the , , IBM and . He has also been an advisor to since January 2010. He is a member of the North Carolina Textile Foundation. He was chairman of from 1995 to 1996.The Business Council, Official website, Background. Archived March 3, 2016. He is a member of the .
==Philanthropy==
Woolard is a member of the and the . In 1988, he received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award Recipient from his alma mater, NCSU. He has donated more than US$1 million to the Alumni Scholarships at NCSU. The Edgar S. Woolard Chair at the is named after him.
==Personal life==
Woolard is married to Peggy Harrell, and they have two daughters, Annette and Lynda. He lives in , , and .
==Media portrayals==
Woolard was portrayed by actor in the 2013 film dramatization Jobs.Jobs (2013): Full Cast & Crew, Internet Movie Database. Accessed 2022-10-06.
==References==
==External links==
*Edgar S. Woolard Jr. at Directors & Boards
*Edgar Woolard at Pitchbook
* at Wikipedia
===Articles===
*The greatest business decisions of all time at Fortune (2012-10-01)
*Former Apple board member Edgar Woolard Jr. talks about Apple CEO Steve Jobs at MacDailyNews (2006-01-30)
Category:Apple Board of Directors