Kathy Herring Hayashi has been involved in the semiconductor industry her entire career — developing, deploying and analyzing advanced software tools instrumental in the creation of computer and mobile phone chips. At Unisys Corporation, she was involved in research and development for advanced in-house CAD software tools. After transitioning to Cadence Design Systems, these tools were incorporated into leading edge EDA solutions. As Director at Syntricity, she led pioneering efforts in web hosted semiconductor yield solutions. Later, at Qualcomm Inc., she optimized semiconductor workflows in global engineering environments.

She served on the 2023–2024 IEEE Board of Directors, IEEE-USA Board, and IEEE Member Geographic Activities Board, and now serves on the Board of Governors for IEEE-HKN, championing the next generation of technology leaders. Kathy delivered presentations at the OECD’s Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network, participated in a U.S. congressional briefing panel, and was invited to the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (APEP) summit.