Artie Limmer/Texas Tech University System
Jerry S. Rawls is executive chairman of Finisar Corporation and a chairman of Vision & Tradition: The Campaign for Texas Tech.
Rawls was elected chairman of the board of Finisar Corporation in 2006. He has also served as president, chief executive officer, and a member of the board of directors for Finisar from 1989 to 2008. From 1968 to 1989, he was employed by Raychem Corporation, a materials science and engineering company.
Finisar, a California-based leader in fiber optic and network systems, was formed by Rawls and a partner in 1988 to conduct fiber optic research. Four years later, the pair revolutionized industry standards for gigabit fiber optic communication between computing devices. In 2000, Forbes listed Finisar as one of the top 500 companies and Business Week named it one of the 100 Hot Growth Companies.
In 2000, Rawls made a record $25 million cash gift to Texas Tech University benefitting the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business. A subsequent gift of $8.5 million created The Rawls Course at Texas Tech University, an award-winning golf course, designed by renowned golf course architect Tom Doak.
A Houston native, Rawls holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University and an M.S. in Industrial Administration from the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma engineering honorary societies.
