The board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), a premier trade organization representing the U.S. semiconductor industry, have elected Ray Stata, chairman of Analog Devices, as its 2011 chairman. While Freescale Semiconductor’s chairman & CEO Rich Beyer has been elected vice chairman.

“As leaders of two of the world’s most innovative companies, Ray and Rich understand the strategic importance of the semiconductor industry in driving technology development, economic growth and high-wage job creation,” said SIA president Brian Toohey, in a statement. He added, “Now is a critical moment for ensuring continued U.S. global technology and economic preeminence. Under Ray’s and Rich’s leadership, SIA and the semiconductor industry will continue to drive accelerated U.S. innovation for sustained economic growth and a higher standard of living for all Americans.”

Stata founded Analog Devices in 1965 and has served as its president, CEO and chairman, building the company into the world leader in high-performance signal processing devices. With facilities and sales offices around the world, Analog Devices is a major global semiconductor manufacturer of analog, mixed-signal and DSP devices.

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stata holds a BSEE and MSEE from MIT. Until 2010 he was for many years the Chairman of the visiting committee of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He served as well on MIT’s Corporation and as a member of its Executive Committee.

Beyer joined Freescale Semiconductor in March 2008. Prior to Freescale, he held executive positions at Intersil Corp., Elantec Semiconductor, VLSI Technology and National Semiconductor Corp. Beyer earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgetown University and an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He also served three years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Founded in 1977 by five microelectronics pioneers, SIA unites over 60 companies that account for nearly 90 percent of the semiconductor production in the country.

This week SIA released its annual forecast of global semiconductor sales for 2010 through 2012, projecting record sales of $300.5 billion in 2010, an increase of 32.8 percent. The forecast calls for sales to grow by 6.0 percent in 2011, to $318.7 billion, followed by an increase of 3.4 percent to $329.7 billion in 2012. The projected compound annual growth rate is estimated to be 13.4 percent for the period 2009 through 2012.

According to SIA, the semiconductor industry experienced record sales this year due to strong global demand across a broad range of end markets. “We expect more moderate growth through 2012 as the economy recovers and consumer confidence restores,” noted Toohey.