Dr. Regina E. Dugan, the vice prudent of Engineering and head of the Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOL) joined the board of directors of Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA).
CEO Don Mattrick announced the addition of Dr. Dugan to the board of directors of the online social gaming company. According to him, “I have admired Regina’s work and visionary thinking for years. I believe she will be an incredible addition to our board of directors, and a true catalyst for creative thinking at Zynga. Regina is a dynamic leader and industry pioneer who embraces new ideas and inspires teams to reimagine how technology and tools can positively disrupt the world.”
Mattrick said Dr. Dugan will serve as chairperson of the nominating and governance committee and she will also join the product committee of the board of Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA). He is confident that the Google executive’s expertise and counsel will put the online social gaming company in a better position to offer consumers with next generation experiences in different categories, platform and devices.
Dr. Dugan was the 19th director and the first female leader of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the main agency responsible for research, development and demonstration of high-risk, high-payoff capabilities for future combat force within the United States Department of Defense.
During his tenure as director of DARPA, Dr. Dugan pushed strategic initiatives in cyber security, hypersonics, social media and advanced manufacturing. She excels in managing internal and external teams focused on inventing new technologies with the power to positively impact industries worldwide.
Dr. Dugan is currently leading the ATAP group of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) in developing breakthrough innovations in mobile computing and accelerating the availability of innovative technologies in the market.
Some of the projects the ATAP Group under development include the modular smartphone known as Project Ara, which is designed to revolutionize the mobile industry. Her team is developing a smartphone that can be assembled and customized into numerous configurations, and its target price for the device is significantly cheap at $50.
Dr. Dugan’s ATAp team at Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is also working on Project Tango, a tablet with 3D motion and depth sensing capabilities. The project aims to provide mobile devices with human scale understanding of space and motion.
The shares of Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZYNGA) climbed almost 2% to $3.06 per share during the extended hours trading, which only shows that investors responded positively to the announcement.
