Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Ellsworth, Minnesota
B.S. Electrical Engineering ,
M.S. Electrical Engineering ,
Jim Morgan joined Daktronics, Inc., of Brookings in 1970 while a graduate student at South Dakota State University. He led the Daktronics engineering department from 1971 until his appointment as president in 1999. Morgan was responsible for the design of the first Daktronics scoreboard, the Matside scoreboard, in 1971. He also led the design, manufacturing and installation of the first Daktronics swim timing system, the plant control system for a municipal water treatment plant and the first Daktronics outdoor electronic message center. In 1980, he was project engineer for Daktronics’ first major involvement in an Olympic event, the 1980 Olympic Winter Games held in Lake Placid, New York. He was also responsible for the design and installation of numerous voting systems for state legislatures and other legislative bodies. He led the Daktronics engineering team from its infancy to its status of supporting four major product families each with its own autonomous development group. Morgan was promoted to vice president of the engineering department in 1976 and to executive vice president in 1996. He was named chief executive officer of Daktronics in 2001.