The Red Hat board of directors announced a new chairman Monday, August 30, to replace outgoing Matthew Szulik. Henry Hugh Shelton, retired Special Forces general, has been serving on the board since 2003 after leaving the elite Army division.

Jim Whitehurst, Red Hat president and CEO, said, "General Shelton is an individual of the utmost integrity. He has excelled in the numerous roles and positions held throughout his career and as a dedicated member of Red Hat's board of directors for more than seven years. General Shelton possesses the right combination of leadership, experience and industry knowledge to help guide Red Hat toward achieving its future goals."

The 68 year old Congressional Gold Medal recipient has plenty of business experience on his resume. He served as president of M.I.C. Industries, an international manufacturing company, for four years and on the boards of several other companies such as Anheuser-Busch Companies, CACI International Inc. and Anteon International Corporation.

The Red Hat stock price closed at $34.52 the Monday of the announcement, down from $35.16 the previous Friday. Red Hat stock prices have generally been going up all year and proves to be one of the most successful Open Source companies today. Red Hat is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and employs about 2,500 workers.