Longtime Silicon Valley leader Dan’l Lewin was named president and CEO of The Computer History Museum. In this capacity, he will help develop a new strategy for the museum, which chronicles the decades of achievements of Silicon Valley’s leaders.
The Mountain View, California museum has exhibits that chronicle computing history, and it is also a gathering place for events involving the region’s tech leaders. I’ve been to it many times — for stories that took me into the old stacks of documents, as well as to exhibits that showed off everything from the physics of car crashes to the history of games.
Lewin will lead the organization through its next phase of growth, including expanding the museum’s interpretation efforts and content and media creation to further reach and impact global audiences. He will develop and direct the strategy, fundraising, and ongoing operations of the museum, including those of its Exponential Center — dedicated to entrepreneurship and innovation — and the Center for Software History. Lewin will officially assume the new positions on March 7.
Above: Computer History Museum’s car crash testing display at its Make Software exhibit.
“The Computer History Museum represents the work of many of the giants of our time. For me, this opportunity represents a dream come true,” said Lewin, in a statement. “There is no better place and time to be helping shape the conversation about how computing will impact our world in the years to come.”
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Lewin spent 17 years as the top Silicon Valley executive at Microsoft. Over 30 years, he also did stints at NeXT, Apple, and Sony. His career mirrors the technological developments of the early personal computer era, which includes recruitment by Steve Jobs to join Apple as director of education sales and marketing. He was a cofounder of NeXT and served as a cofounder and vice president of sales and marketing.
At Microsoft, he was the friendly company face for both allies and rivals in Silicon Valley, and he engaged with venture capital and entrepreneurial communities worldwide. As a corporate vice president, he handled technical diplomacy, business development, environmental sustainability, marketing, and civic engagement.
Above: Pong at the Computer History Museum
Lewin led Microsoft’s 2016 U.S. presidential campaign technology engagement, internet of things (IoT) public/private partnership development, and artificial intelligence “AI for Earth” initiative.
“Building on its success over the last 20 years, the Museum is undergoing exciting growth of its activities in software, education, and entrepreneurship,” said CHM board chair Len Shustek, in a statement. “Dan’l is a well-connected industry veteran who understands how computing is changing, and we are delighted that he will be leading our expansion.”
I love checking out the exhibits and events at the museum, and I would love to see it raise its profile as the face of Silicon Valley, a place that is so new that it doesn’t really have the landmarks you would expect it to have, given its influence on modern society.
