Joel Trammell is a successful CEO and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in IT-related software companies. He is the CEO of Khorus, a company he founded to provide a business management system for CEOs and other leaders. Most recently, he served as CEO of network services provider Black Box Corporation (NASDAQ:BBOX).

In addition, he is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of private equity firm Lone Rock Technology Group. Joel serves as a mentor at Austin start-up incubator Capitol Factory. He also sits on the boards of several public, private, and nonprofit companies. He is the former Chair of the Austin Technology Council.

Joel’s leadership as a founder and CEO resulted in successful nine-figure acquisitions by two Fortune 500 companies. As CEO and co-founder of network management software firm NetQoS, he delivered 31 consecutive quarters of double-digit revenue growth and a $200 million valuation. CA Technologies acquired the company in 2009, generating more than 10x return on capital to its private equity investors. In 2010, he co-founded Cache IQ, a storage software company that NetApp acquired two years later.

Having started his first technology company in 1990, Joel is committed to using his experience to help current and aspiring CEOs. In addition to The American CEO blog, he writes regular columns for Inc.com. He published a book – The CEO Tightrope – that describes a systematic approach to the critical chief executive role. In addition, he runs a CEO seminar in Austin every year.

Joel holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University and is a former instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power School. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Cathy and their three children.