Boards: UPS, W.W. Grainger, Avnet, Georgia Tech, Rollins College, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

Rodney “Rod” Adkins is chairman of Avnet, Inc., a position he has held since 2018. He serves on the boards of United Parcel Service (UPS), W.W. Grainger, and Avnet. He is a trustee of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Rollins College.

Previously, Adkins was senior vice president of IBM, serving from 2007 to 2014. Over his 33-year career with IBM, he held several operational and executive management roles spanning strategy, technology, systems, and supply chain.

Adkins was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2005. He is the author of Curiosity Redefines the Limits, a book that explores how curiosity can become a powerful competitive advantage.

Adkins holds a BS and MS in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech and a BA in physics from Rollins College.