Board Members

John A. Rollwagen

Since 1993, John Rollwagen has been an investor and business advisor specializing in information technology. As such, he serves as a principal of Quatris Fund, an affiliate fund of St. Paul Venture Capital, formed to create, seed and mentor early-stage entrepreneurial ventures.

John serves on several public and private company boards, including PartnerRe Ltd, a global, Bermuda based reinsurance company, where he serves as Chairman.

Among John's community activities is his long time service on the board of Minnesota Public Radio, where he is currently an active member of the organization’s Planning Committee.

Until January 1993, John was chairman and chief executive officer of Cray Research, Inc. the leading supplier of supercomputers worldwide. In that role, he was well known for maintaining an environment of creativity and teamwork and for setting the strategic direction of the company. During his tenure, first as president beginning in 1977 and then as chairman starting in 1981, he led Cray Research from a start-up operation with less than 100 people to a highly profitable and internationally respected Fortune 500 company with annual revenues in excess of $800 million and more than 5,000 employees in 21 countries.

In 1993, the company was named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For in America” in the best seller by Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz.

John was a founding member of the Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP), an organization of chief executive officers of the 12 leading computer systems companies in the U.S. created in 1989 to identify and advocate industry positions on trade and technology policy. In 1987, he was appointed by President Reagan as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN). He was reappointed to this position by President Bush.

In January 1993, President Clinton named John as his nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce. In May, after resigning his position at Cray Research and serving several months in Washington D.C. as Deputy Secretary Designate, John concluded that he could make a greater contribution from the private sector and withdrew his name from nomination.

At various times during his career, John has served on the boards of directors of Norwest Bank, Dayton Hudson Corporation, Apple Computer, Inc., Northern States Power Company, The St. Paul Companies, and the Ninth District Federal Reserve Bank. He has also served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations and industry associations, including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Walker Art Center, and the Citizens League, as well as the American Electronics Association, the American Business Council, and the U.S.-Japan Business Council.

John earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a recipient of the MIT Alumni Award for Distinguished Corporate Leadership, and has been honored by the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology for his contributions to the university’s electrical engineering and computer science programs. In 1992, he was the recipient of an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Hamline University.

Born November 20, 1940 in Minneapolis MN, John currently resides there with his family. Among his varied interests are reading, photography, golf, skiing and learning the piano.