Rodney Adkins (Rod) is Chairman of Avnet, Inc., a position he has held since 2018. Avnet is one of the world’s largest electronic components and technology solutions distributors. In addition, he is a Partner of 3RAM Group LLC, a privately held company specializing in capital investments, business consulting services, and property management. Formerly, Mr. Adkins was Senior Vice President of IBM, having served in that position from 2007 until 2014. He is the company’s first African American Senior Vice President and corporate officer. In his over 33 years of career with IBM, Mr. Adkins has held several operational and executive management roles spanning strategy, technology, systems, and supply chain.

Mr. Adkins’ work has spanned the world of technology and computing. He has been a leading innovator in solutions ranging from mobile devices to the world’s largest supercomputers. His significant contributions include helping to advance the Personal Computer industry, leading IBM’s POWER business to become the market leader in the UNIX market, and pioneering what became IBM’s portfolio of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.