Retiring W.L. Gore CEO Terri Kelly will be honored next week by Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, Tempe.
The award honors business leaders who have created and sustained superior organization performance, and whose presence exemplifies a model for future business leaders.
Newark-based Gore is best known for its Gore-Tex fabric products.
Gore is a sizable employer in Arizona, with its fast-growing medical products divison based in Flagstaff. Gore also has sites in the Phoenix-Tempe-Mesa area.
Jason Field, global sales and marketing leader for Gore Medical Products Division, is succeeding Kelly as CEO.
“It’s an honor to recognize Terri Kelly as this year’s Executive of the Year,” says W. P. Carey School of Business Dean Amy Hillman. “Gore’s distinct culture and non-hierarchical leadership model speaks volumes about her innate capabilities and presence but also reveals how she has been able to lead Gore to a position of great strength and innovation in the market. I’m really looking forward to hearing her insights.”
Kelly started at Gore as an associate in 1983, right after graduating from the University of Delaware with a degree in mechanical engineering. She became CEO in 2005 after 22 years with the company.
The company employs approximately 9,500 associates in more than 20 countries. Gore has maintained a significant presence in Arizona for more than 50 years with operations in Flagstaff and Phoenix.
Kelly gained experience as a product specialist with the military fabrics business – a unit she eventually led, helping it grow from a small start-up venture into a larger producer of protective apparel products for the global armed forces.
Kelly lives in Delaware with her husband and four children. Kelly will continue to serve on the company’s board through July.
Kelly is the 35th Executive of the Year chosen by the Dean’s Council, a national group of executives who advise the W. P. Carey School of Business.
