PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (May 4, 2021) – Tim Kinnard ’92 has 28 years with Texas Instruments (TI). As the vice president of Wafer Fab Manufacturing Operations at TI, he manages nine different factories that fabricate highly complex semiconductors, leading more than 5,000 employees at manufacturing facilities in North Texas, Maine, Japan and Germany. Is it safe to say that this 1992 graduate of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) thinks that PVAMU prepared him for the world of business?
Tim Kinnard ’92
“Prairie View prepared me well to go out in the world,” Kinnard said. “The importance of work ethic, of putting in the effort: you learn all that on campus. Prairie View built a muscle of perseverance that I use to this day. I still think of the challenges I faced there that prepared me for all the challenges I’ve overcome in my career.”
Kinnard’s challenges began with his chosen major, electrical engineering technology.
“It was a new degree, recently accredited, at Prairie View,” he said. “I liked it as a major because it had more lab and hands-on application, as opposed to theory. I’m a hands-on type of guy, so I really loved it. I wasn’t interested in research; I wanted to get into the industry immediately. Education was my means to escape poverty. I wanted to get my degree and get a job.”
As Kinnard realized late in his Bachelor of Science career, the trouble was that nearly all of the companies at that time were seeking graduates pursuing more typical degrees in electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering, or materials science. Crediting his own persistence and the help of PVAMU’s Office of Career Services, where he had a work-study job, he eventually managed a first interview with TI. “It was a Prairie View alum who looked at my credentials and invited me to TI for a second interview,” Kinnard said. “Twenty-eight years later, here I am.”
Kinnard’s ascent has been methodical, giving him a complete understanding of semiconductor fabrication. Beginning as a photolithography process engineer and rising to manage different engineering groups, and then whole factories, Kinnard has become known for his ability to build strong teams. He is also committed to creating an environment where everyone feels included. TI credits Kinnard’s technical acumen, focus on quality, ability to solve problems and drive for results collaboratively as hallmarks of his success.
“I give Prairie View all the credit,” he said. “I just wanted to get in and compete as an engineer, and, to be honest, I had a chip on my shoulder after being told companies don’t hire people with my degree. Well, they hired me, and even though we still typically don’t, I bring in people with that degree because there are certain roles where I think you can thrive with that background.”
As many companies do, TI has a variety of diversity initiatives, and Kinnard is proud of his and the company’s efforts in the area of diversity and inclusion, even as he notes that he was the first African American to achieve his particular vice president position at TI. “All of my predecessors were white men,” he said, “so when I got it, it was somewhat overwhelming.”
Kinnard has been inspired throughout his career by the diverse leaders who have mentored him, and he has tried to follow in their footsteps by mentoring younger employees. He serves as a director on the Texas Instruments Foundation Board, where the objective is to improve the quality of life and community, primarily in Dallas, through well-considered investments in education, human services, racial equity and the arts.
Outside the work sphere, Kinnard mentors young African American men both through his church and as a member of the Alpha Epsilon chapter of Sigma Pi Phi, the oldest African American professional fraternity.
“My main interest is men who grew up in a single-parent household — that’s how I grew up — with no true successful male figure in the home,” Kinnard said. Through an Alpha Epsilon initiative focused on mentoring young, black, Dallas-area men in their pursuit of higher education, Kinnard is currently mentoring a Yale undergraduate studying mechanical engineering. “I can offer my insights about industry, provide encouragement, although he has both parents at home,” Kinnard said. “It’s very important to me. No one succeeds alone.”
While Covid-19 has slowed down many outreach efforts, Kinnard said he looks forward to being able to provide mentorship to students at his alma mater.
“It would be awesome to mentor people at Prairie View,” he said. “I can expose them to this particular industry, but really I can help them in any regard. It’s something I’m extremely interested in doing.”
By Andrew Cohen
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