Our Leadership

Dr. Thompson Lin

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Chih-Hsiang (Thompson) Lin, Ph.D., founded Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. in February 1997 and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since our inception. He currently serves as the Chairman of our Board, a position he has held since January 2014. He has served as a director on our Board since 1997, and he served as Chairman of our Board from May 2000 through September 2002, and again from June 2008 through October 2009. Since May 2015, Dr. Lin has served on the University of Missouri's Chancellor's Advisory Group and since November 2016 he has served as a chair on the University of Missouri's Industrial Advisory Board for the College of Engineering. Dr. Lin also served as a research associate professor from 1998 to 2000 and as a senior research scientist from 1994 to 1998 at the University of Houston. Dr. Lin holds a BS degree in Nuclear Engineering from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and a MS degree and a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Missouri—Columbia.

William H. Yeh

Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Member of the Compensation Committee

William H. Yeh has served as a director on our Board of Directors since May 2000. Since 1997, he has served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Golden Star Management, Inc., a real estate investment and management company. Since 2005, he has served as President of Pearlyeh Investments Inc., a real estate development and investment company. Since 2014, he has served as president of Stonemetal Capital, LLC, an equity financial company and as president of Pearl Yeh Charitable Foundation LLC, a charitable foundation focused on cultural exchange and education programs. He served as the Vice Chairman of Central Bancorp, Inc. (the holding company of United Central Bank, now Hanmi Bank) from 1997 to 2014. He served as an Advisor of Hanmi Bank for the Texas region from 2014 to 2019. Mr. Yeh received a BS degree from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and a MS degree from University of Houston—Clear Lake.

Richard B. Black

Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee 

Richard B. Black has served as a director on our Board since August 2001. He served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ECRM, Incorporated, a worldwide supplier of laser based imaging equipment from 1983 until the company was acquired by Eastman KODAK Corp. in 2021. From 2014 to 2017, he also served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of CRON-ECRM LLC, a worldwide supplier of laser based imaging equipment. Beginning in 1989, Mr. Black was a director of Oak Technology, Inc., a manufacturer of semi-conductors for optical storage and laser printers and then became President in 1998 and vice chairman of the board of directors in 1999 until its merger with Zoran, Inc. in 2003. Mr. Black has served as President and CEO of AM International from 1980 to 1982. He served as a Division President of Maremont Corporation, a manufacturer of auto parts and textile machinery, from 1967, then as Maremont’s President and CEO from 1974 to 1979. When Maremont was acquired by Alusuisse in 1979, he served as President and CEO of Alusuisse of America until 1981. He served as a director and chairman of the audit committee of GSI Group, a manufacturer of lasers, laser systems, semi-conductor equipment, from 1998 to 2012, and was its chairman of its board of directors from 2006 to 2012. Mr. Black served as a director and Chairman of the audit committee of Alliance Fiber Optics Products, Inc. (Nasdaq: AFOP) from 2002 until its acquisition by Corning in 2016. He serves as a director of TREX Enterprises, Inc., a defense technology company, a position he has held since 2000. Mr. Black has served as trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton since 1990, and became its Vice Chairman in 2006, and Trustee Emeritus since 2012. He has served as a trustee of the American Indian College Fund, Beloit College, and Bard College. At the University of Chicago, he serves on the Board of Governors of the University’s Smart Museum of Art. Mr. Black received a BS degree in Engineering from Texas A&M University, an MBA from Harvard University and an honorary Ph.D. from Beloit College.

Min-Chu (Mike) Chen, Ph.D.

Chairman of the Compensation Committee and Member of the Audit Committee

Min-Chu (Mike) Chen, Ph.D., has served as a director on our Board since February 2013. Since 2001, he has been a partner and member of the board of directors of EverRich Capital Inc., a financial consulting company. Since May 2010, he has served as executive director of C&C International Services, Inc., a petrochemical equipment services and marketing company. Dr. Chen is the co-founder and has served as executive director of EABO Information Technology (Shanghai), Co. Ltd., an IIoT technology platform company since 2018.  Dr. Chen is the co-founder and has served as a director of KidTech, Inc., a Houston based personalized healthcare solution provider for children since May 2023. From March 1994 to June 2002, Dr. Chen served as a board member of PCTEL, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCTI). From September 2008 to April 2010, Dr. Chen served as the Chief Executive Officer of SilverPAC, Inc., a consumer electronics business. From 2011 to 2018, he served as the Asia Pacific Director for U.S. Flow Control Group Pte. Ltd., a petroleum equipment manufacturer and services company. From 2016 to 2023, he served as Vice Chairman of the board of directors of Shandong SicerKline Advanced Material Co., Ltd., a surface-etched silicon carbide and alumina mini-whisker manufacturing plant for ceramic applications. Dr. Chen was previously employed by Exxon as a Senior Research Engineer in the Drilling and Completion Division and as a Senior Engineer at Transocean. Dr. Chen received a Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from Oregon State University, a MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Taiwan University in Taiwan and a BS degree in Naval Architecture from National Ocean University.

Che-Wei Lin

Member of the Compensation Committee

Che-Wei Lin has served as a director on our Board since January 2014, and previously served as a director on our Board from December 2006 to October 2009. Since November 2007, Mr. Lin has served as the President of ASMedia Technology Inc., a chipset manufacturer. Since November 2009, Mr. Lin has also served as the Corporate Vice President of the Motherboard Business Unit of the Open Platform Business Group of ASUSTek Computer Inc., a computer hardware and electronics company. Mr. Lin was employed at VIA Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of integrated circuits and motherboard chipsets, from 1993 to 2007 in various positions, including President of the Desktop Platform Business Unit, Vice President of the System Platform Division and Vice President of OEM and Chipset Product Marketing. Mr. Lin received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Fu Jen University in Taiwan and a MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri.

Elizabeth Loboa, Ph.D.

Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Elizabeth Loboa, Ph.D., has served on our Board since June 2020. Since 2020, Dr. Loboa has served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Southern Methodist University. From 2018 to 2020, Dr. Loboa served the University of Missouri System and the University of Missouri as Vice Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships, Dean and Ketcham Professor of the College of Engineering, University of Missouri System Review Committee for Excellence in Research and Creative Works, Council of Leaders, MU Engagement Council, Translational Precision Medicine Complex (TPMC, now called Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building) Academic and Research Programming Group, University of Missouri System Taskforce for Innovation, and served on the Board of Directors for the Missouri Innovation Center. She also held various leadership and service roles related to her profession. In 2018, she served as Coordinator of the Precision Medicine Summit for the University of Missouri System. In 2017, she served as Co-Chair of the University of Missouri Chancellor Search Committee. During her time as dean at University of Missouri, Dr. Loboa also served as adjunct professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. From 2003 to 2015, she served as Director of the Cell Mechanics Laboratory, Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. From 2014 to 2015, she served as adjunct professor in the Departments of Biotechnology, Physiology and Fiber and Polymer Science at North Carolina State University and in the Department of Orthopaedics and Curriculum in Oral Biology at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. From 2014 to 2015, she served as Professor of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University. She also served as Associate Chair of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University from 2013 to 2015. Dr. Loboa received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis, an M.S.E in Biomechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

Cynthia (Cindy) DeLaney

Member of the Audit Committee

Cynthia (Cindy) DeLaney has been elected to serve on our Board of Directors since June 2021. Since January 2014, Ms. DeLaney has served as the Global Fuel Oil commodity trading manager for Shell Trading. In this role she manages Shell’s global Fuel Oil trading activities with primary trading offices in Singapore, Rotterdam and Houston, covering Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and other offices in cities such as Calgary, Dubai and Moscow. For the previous nine years (2005-2013), she managed the Americas Fuel Oil Trading team. Before her position as the Americas Trading Manager, Ms. DeLaney was a trader in fuel oil, VGO, gasoline and gasoline components (1999-2005). She has over 25 years’ experience as a trader and in technical aspects of the petrochemical/refining industry. In her role as the Global Trading Manager of Fuel Oil, Ms. DeLaney has increased the profitability of Shell’s global fuel oil trading business which grew steadily over her tenure. Since October 2016, Ms. DeLaney has served as a director and Vice President of Shell Trading US Company (STUSCo). She is also a member of the Executive group of the Houston Chapter of the Women’s Energy Network (WEN) which works to promote and develop women’s careers in Energy and STEM fields. Ms. DeLaney started her working career in 1991 as an Electrical Engineer at Arco Chemical Company (now Lyondell) in Houston. She moved from technical to commercial activities at Arco, eventually trading MTBE and gasoline components from Arco’s Newtown Square, Pennsylvania headquarters. In 1998, she moved to Koch Industries, in Houston, to trade MTBE before being hired in 1999 by Shell to trade gasoline, and then Fuel Oil and VGO. Ms. DeLaney has B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University. The Board believes Ms. DeLaney is qualified to serve as a director based on her leadership experience and extensive experience in business.