Dr. George Kozmetsky was the Executive Associate for Economic Affairs, The University of Texas System. Dr. Kozmetsky served from 1966-1982 as Dean of the College of Business Administration and the Graduate School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He is the co-founder and was a Director, and former Executive Vice President of Teledyne, Inc. He has assisted in developing over 100 technology based companies as well as serving on numerous boards including Gulf Oil, La Quinta, Heizer Inc., and DELL Corporation. Dr. Kozmetsky is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Society for Design and Process Science (SDPS). His three most recent books are Creating the Technopolis [co-editor] (Ballinger, 1988), Pacific Cooperation and Development [co-editor] (Praeger Publishers, 1988) and Modern American Capitalism [co-author] (Quorum Books, 1990). Dr. Kozmetsky received the 1987-88 Dow Jones Award from the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business for his outstanding contributions to management education; the 1988 Thomas Jefferson Award from the Technology Transfer Society for his work in advancing technology transfer; and was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame for his business contributions to the State of Texas. In 1989, he received the University of Washington Alumnus Summa Dignatus Award. He was Austin’s 1992 Entrepreneur of the Year Supporter of Entrepreneurship. Dr. Kozmetsky is one of nine recipients of the 1993 National Medal of Technology. He is the first recipient of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award from the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, Inc. A native of Seattle, WA, Dr. Kozmetsky received the Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1938, the Master of Business Administration degree in 1947 and the Doctor of Commercial Science degree in 1957 from Harvard University.

In 1995, the Society for Design and Process Science established the George Kozmetsky Distinguished Achievement Award to be awarded annually during the SDPS IDPT Conference.