# Martin Vanderploeg

> Martin (Marty) J. Vanderploeg is a Workiva co-founder, former CEO and current non-executive chair. A mechanical engineer and former Iowa State professor, he previously co-founded Engineering Animation. His educational philanthropy supports first-generation students, engineering faculty, student research and freshwater science at public universities.

- **Role:** Non-Executive Chair at Workiva Inc.
- **Organizations:** Workiva Inc., Engineering Animation Inc., Iowa State University, University of Iowa, Michigan State University
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Engineering Animation and helped lead it through its acquisition in 2000., Co-founded Workiva, which became a publicly traded company in 2014., Led Workiva as CEO from 2018 to 2023; the company reported serving 5,600 customers worldwide at the 2023 succession.

## Career timeline

- **1982** — Completed his mechanical engineering doctorate at Michigan State; subsequently taught at the University of Iowa.
- **1985-1993** — Mechanical engineering professor at Iowa State University; founded and directed its visualization laboratory.
- **1989-1999** — Chief technology officer of Engineering Animation (EAI), which he co-founded.
- **1993-2000** — Executive vice president at EAI; company acquired by Unigraphics Solutions in 2000.
- **2008** — Co-founded WebFilings, later Workiva; began serving as COO.
- **2014** — Became president and a board director; Workiva listed on the NYSE in December.
- **2018-2023** — Chief executive officer of Workiva.
- **2023** — Julie Iskow succeeded him as CEO on April 1; he became non-executive chair.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Engineering Animation and helped lead it through its acquisition in 2000.
- Co-founded Workiva, which became a publicly traded company in 2014.
- Led Workiva as CEO from 2018 to 2023; the company reported serving 5,600 customers worldwide at the 2023 succession.
- Named Software Leader of the Year 2022 by Chief Executive Officer Today, as listed in Workiva’s board biography.
- Made a gift announced as $17 million to Michigan State in 2022 for first-generation students, engineering faculty and research.
- Endowed the Vanderploeg Luminosity Scholars Program at Arizona State with $15 million in 2022.
- A $1 million gift created Lake Superior State’s first endowed faculty position, announced in March 2023.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Michigan State’s FLI Vanderploeg Scholars Program listed July 1 as the priority application date for its 2026 cohort.
- **2026-05** — Appeared in episode 25 of Logan Lin’s FinanZe podcast, published May 1, discussing academia, EAI, Workiva, culture and the future of software.
- **2026-04** — Workiva’s 2026 proxy statement continued to identify him as non-executive chair.

## Links

- Website: https://investor.workiva.com/board-member/martin-vanderploeg
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-vanderploeg

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/martin-vanderploeg
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11