Eduardo Conrado came to the U.S at the age of 13 when his family fled Managua, Nicaragua, due to the civil war. A hard working first-generation immigrant, he graduated from Texas Tech University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. He considered other engineering disciplines but found industrial engineering to be the optimal blend of technology and operations. During his four years at TTU, Mr. Conrado worked hard in and outside the classroom — working in the dormitory cafeteria as a way to pay for college.
Mr. Conrado is passionate about family, travel, learning and doing new things at work. His family excites him each and every day. He met his wife, Caroline, while pursuing a master's degree in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management. They moved to Spain to continue with the MBA program at ESADE in Barcelona. After graduation, Eduardo and Caroline moved to Norway, Caroline's home country, for a six-month sabbatical. They married in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1992. They have two daughters, ages 19 and 18; Ina is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota studying biology and Maia is a senior in high school and will be attending the University of Chicago this fall.

Currently, Mr. Conrado serves as senior vice president and chief innovation officer for Motorola Solutions. In this role, he oversees product, software, service, business model and customer experience innovation. He leads the chief information office, the chief technology office and Motorola Solutions Venture Capital, the company's strategic investment group. Previously, Conrado led the company's marketing and IT organizations, which focused on driving a customer-centric strategy. He joined Motorola in 1992 and has served in a variety of leadership roles in multiple international businesses in a range of consumer and commercial segments across Motorola. He has excelled in his career with Motorola Solutions, and in 2011 he was named BtoB Magazine's Marketer of the Year.

Conrado is past national chairman of the Business Marketing Association and is on the boards of directors for the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, the Association of National Advertisers and Ascension healthcare organization. Mr. Conrado was involved with the Business Marketing Association to help advance marketing as a career for others and set the agenda for what the role of marketers should look like in the future. His involvement with the Red Cross aligns with Motorola Solutions' work supporting first responders and helping people in time of crisis. Being part of Ascension's board provides him opportunities to be involved in an industry – healthcare—that is in a transformation phase.

Getting to Know Eduardo Conrado:

Q: What is your favorite spot on campus?

Green area in front of engineering buildings.

Q: What is your favorite Texas Tech tradition?

The horse and masked rider at football games.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a Red Raider?

Running into other Red Raiders in my travels.

Q: What is your favorite Texas Tech memory?

Six members of my family attended school in a six-year period. My brother and sister, plus three cousins. One of the places I loved to go eat was at Chow Thai – I think now it is call Choochai Thai. The owner and his wife had migrated to Lubbock from Thailand – friendly service and great food at student prices. Love that place!

Q: What advice do you have for international students at Texas Tech University?

Enjoy the campus and traditions. Integrate into the culture.

Eduardo Conrado