Ken Xie attended his first National Academy of Engineering activity in March 2013: the Regional Meeting at Stanford. While there, NAE vice president Maxine Savitz remarked on the importance of philanthropy to NAE's work. Shortly thereafter, Ken Xie decided to direct a $100,000 gift from the Xie Foundation in support of the NAE Independent Fund.

"The Academy is uniquely positioned to bring awareness to the great potential of engineering. At a time when it will take creative thinking to maintain American competitiveness and address global problems, I want to make sure NAE has the resources to build strong relationships and to educate government leaders and the public.”

Mr. Xie, founder and CEO of Fortinet, a publicly traded company that specializes in cyber security, was elected for “contributions to cyber security, including network security systems and services."

Mr. Xie’s generosity, and that of other NAE members and friends, can help NAE maintain the growth of the NAE Independent Fund, giving the Academy more opportunities to advocate for engineering to be part of the solution to global challenges.