Board of Directors

Morris Young co-founded AXT in 1986 and has served as a director since 1989. Dr. Young served as our Chairman of the Board of Directors from February 1998 to May 2004 and as our president and chief executive officer from 1989 to May 2004. From 2004 until his retirement in 2006, Dr. Young served as our chief technology officer. He was reappointed as our chief executive officer on July 16, 2009 and Chairman of the Board of Directors on August 12, 2021. From 1985 to 1989, Dr. Young was a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dr. Young has a B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering from National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, a M.S. degree in metallurgy from Syracuse University, and a Ph.D. in metallurgy from Polytechnic University. 

Jesse Chen has served as one of our directors since February 1998 and was our Chairman of the Board of Directors from May 2004 until October 2007, at which time he was appointed our lead independent director. Mr. Chen served as our Chairman of the Board of Directors from March 2009 until August 12, 2021. Since May 1997, Mr. Chen has served as a managing director of Maton Ventures, an investment company. From 1990 to 1996, Mr. Chen served as chief executive officer of BusLogic, Inc., a fabless semiconductor and computer peripherals company. Mr. Chen serves on the board of directors of a private company. Mr. Chen has a B.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan and a M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Loyola Marymount University.

David C. Chang, Ph.D. has served as one of our directors since December 2000. Dr. Chang co-founded The Global Maximum Educational Opportunities, Inc., which provides study abroad programs in China for U.S. undergraduate students, in 2011 and became its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in August 2013. Dr. Chang has served as president of Polytechnic University in New York (now known as the Tandon School of Engineering, New York University) from 1994 to 2005 and chancellor from 2005 to 2013, and Professor Emeritus at New York University since 2013. Previously, Dr. Chang was dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Arizona State University. Dr. Chang served as a director of the NSF/Industry Corporate Research Center for Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Computer Aided Design from 1981 to 1989. Dr. Chang was a member of the board of directors of Time Warner Cable Inc. from 2004 to 2016. Dr. Chang has a M.S. degree and a Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard University and a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.

Leonard J. LeBlanc previously served as a director for AXT, Inc. from April 2003 to December 2021 and was also a director emeritus in 2022. In July 2025, Mr. LeBlanc rejoined the AXT, Inc. board as a director. Mr. LeBlanc served as the acting chief financial officer and vice president of corporate development for Ebest, Inc., a privately held applications software company, from February 2001 to September 2003. Mr. LeBlanc was the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Vantive Corporation, a customer relationship management software and solution company, from August 1998 to January 2000. From March 1996 to July 1997, Mr. LeBlanc was the executive vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer at Infoseek Corporation, an internet search and navigation company. From September 1993 to December 1994, Mr. LeBlanc served as senior vice president, finance and administration of GTECH Corporation, a manufacturer of lottery equipment and systems. From May 1987 to December 1992, Mr. LeBlanc served as executive vice president, finance and administration and chief financial officer of Cadence Design Systems, Inc., an electronic design automation software company. Mr. LeBlanc served on the board of directors and as chairman of the audit committee of Oplink Communications, Inc., a provider of optical manufacturing solutions and optical networking components from 2000 to 2009 and as chairman of the Board from 2006 to 2009. From November 2009 to November 2010, he was a consultant to Oplink Communications, Inc. Mr. LeBlanc has B.S. and M.S. degrees from the College of Holy Cross, and an M.S. degree in finance from George Washington University.