The Austin Chamber announces Jack McDonald, Chairman and CEO of Perficient, will serve as the Chamber’s 2008 Vice Chair of Technology and Chair of the AusTech Alliance. McDonald will continue work led by 2007 Vice Chair of Technology, Randy Baker, President and Founder of Tuanis Technology. The AusTech Alliance was formed in 2006 to work with the Chamber’s economic development efforts to grow the Central Texas technology sector by growing existing companies and attracting new technology companies. The goal is to work to create a shared vision on the future of Austin’s technology community.

"The technology sector is one of the key drivers of our Austin economy" said 2008 Chamber Chair Joe Holt, Chairman of JPMorgan Chase - Austin Region. "We are excited to have Jack leading the Chamber's technology initiatives. His strong leadership and outstanding success as an entrepreneur make him the perfect choice to represent the technology industry in Austin."

Perficient (NASDAQ: PRFT) is a leading information technology firm serving Global 2000 and other large enterprise customers throughout the United States. Since joining Perficient in 1999, McDonald has transformed the company from a start up to an industry leader with approximately $250 million in revenues, 1,500 professionals in 17 cities throughout North America and global locations in Europe, China and India.

Prior to joining Perficient, McDonald, a mergers-and-acquisitions lawyer turned entrepreneur, enjoyed success with several other companies including ALTO Imaging Group, a $100 million computer peripherals integrator, which was later sold to Minolta and VideoSite, Inc., where he executed a successful turnaround and sold to GTECH Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange Company. Earlier, McDonald was a Principal with Zilkha & Co., a New York-based merchant banking firm and served in various positions, including Director of Corporate Development, at Blockbuster Entertainment Group. McDonald began his career in the 1980s as a mergers-and-acquisitions and corporate finance attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York.

McDonald, a 2005 winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, has served on several technology industry boards, including the World Congress on Information Technology Texas Leadership Council and the VARBusiness 500 Advisory Board, an invitation-only group of 10 technology leaders that counsels VARBusiness magazine, the country’s leading information technology consulting trade publication. McDonald is also a member of the board of Interstate Connections, Inc., a privately-held wireless solutions provider. In addition, McDonald is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), the premier global network for presidents under the age of 50.

McDonald also serves on several nonprofit boards. He is chairman of the advisory board of American Youthworks, which operates two dropout-recovery charter high schools serving over 500 at-risk Austin youth. He is a member of the board of PeopleFund, a Community Development Financial Institution that promotes economic vitality for low-income people through strategies that create jobs, provide safe and affordable homes, and promote good economic policy decisions for communities. He is also a member of the board of People's Community Clinic, a primary care clinic that improves the health of uninsured Central Texas children and adults by providing high quality, affordable healthcare.

Strengthening the tech industry in Austin is part of the Chamber’s Opportunity Austin five-year plan which has surpassed its goals to add 72,000 new jobs and $3.5 billion in payroll to the region’s economy.