Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google Inc., helped launch Homecoming Weekend when he spoke as the university's 31st Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education, September 20, 2012.
A tech industry pioneer, Schmidt served as Google's CEO from 2001-11, overseeing the company's technical and business strategy alongside founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation. As executive chairman, he is responsible for all external matters, including building business partnerships, government outreach, and technology thought leadership, as well as advising the CEO and senior leadership on business and policy issues.