# James Peterson

> James J. Peterson, known as Jim or Jimmy P, led Microsemi as CEO from 2000 until its 2018 acquisition by Microchip Technology. His tenure included the Actel and PMC-Sierra acquisitions. He subsequently co-founded Peterson Capital Group and became chairman of Mobix Labs. With Sheila Peterson, he co-chaired UC Irvine’s Brilliant Future fundraising campaign and received the 2025 UC Irvine Medal.

- **Role:** Executive Chairman of the Board at Mobix Labs
- **Organizations:** Microsemi Corporation, Mobix Labs, Peterson Capital Group, UC Irvine Foundation, Linfinity Microelectronics, Silicon Systems, Rockwell Corporation, General Instruments Microelectronics
- **Education:** Associate degree, Ricks College (now Brigham Young University-Idaho), Brigham Young University, Provo
- **Known for:** Led Microsemi during the acquisitions of Actel and PMC-Sierra., Microsemi reported fiscal 2017 net sales of $1.8118 billion during his tenure., Co-chaired UC Irvine’s Brilliant Future campaign with Sheila Peterson.

## Career timeline

- **1997** — Became president and chief operating officer of Linfinity Microelectronics in February.
- **1999** — Joined Microsemi following its acquisition of Linfinity in April.
- **2000** — Became Microsemi president and CEO in November.
- **2009** — Board retained him after its inquiry corrected his academic credentials; imposed financial penalties and remedial actions.
- **2010** — Microsemi acquired Actel.
- **2013** — Became Microsemi chairman in November while retaining the CEO role.
- **2016** — Microsemi completed the PMC-Sierra acquisition on January 15.
- **2018** — Microchip completed its acquisition of Microsemi on May 29; Peterson’s CEO tenure ended.
- **2019** — Publicly identified as co-founder of Peterson Capital Group; UC Irvine campaign publicly launched in October.
- **2021** — Joined Mobix Labs board in February and became executive chairman in November.
- **2025** — Received UC Irvine Medal with Sheila Peterson; their co-chaired campaign concluded above $2.4 billion.

## Achievements

- Led Microsemi during the acquisitions of Actel and PMC-Sierra.
- Microsemi reported fiscal 2017 net sales of $1.8118 billion during his tenure.
- Co-chaired UC Irvine’s Brilliant Future campaign with Sheila Peterson.
- Received the 2025 UC Irvine Medal with Sheila Peterson.
- Jointly recognized with Sheila Peterson as Orange County Outstanding Philanthropists in 2011.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Following conversion of Class B shares, the board reappointed Peterson as a director and Executive Chairman; reported in its August 28 Form 8-K.
- **2026-08** — Spoke as Mobix Labs chairman about the announced definitive agreement to acquire Special Project Delivery, a platform focused on domestic critical-mineral and energy-storage supply chains. The announcement described an agreement, not a completed acquisition.
- **2025-10** — UC Irvine reported more than $2.4 billion raised by the Brilliant Future campaign co-chaired by Jimmy and Sheila Peterson.
- **2025-09** — Jimmy and Sheila Peterson received the UC Irvine Medal at the September 6 ceremony.

## Links

- Website: https://www.mobixlabs.com/board-of-directors/james-peterson
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-peterson-b8320aa

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/james-peterson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23