John Carlson Elected to President’s Post at Cray

Longtime Cray Research Inc. executive John F. Carlson was elected president and chief operating officer of the Eagan, Minn., supercomputer maker Tuesday.

Carlson’s election by the board of directors was announced in a letter to employees by Chairman and Chief Executive John Rollwagen, who had been handling the duties of president and chief operating officer since the July, 1990, resignation of Marcelo Gumucio.

When Gumucio resigned, Rollwagen had said he and Gumucio were unable to agree on a long-range strategy for the company. Gumucio, who also resigned from the board, had described his departure as a “friendly divorce” and said his style of leadership differed from Rollwagen’s.

Carlson has been with Cray for 20 years, beginning as outside auditor in 1972 and becoming vice president of finance in 1976. He was executive vice president and chief financial officer when elected to his new positions.