James E. Carnes (1939-) was President of the Sarnoff Corporation from 1990 to 2002. Carnes, a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Science from Penn State in 1961. Following service in the Navy, Carnes received a Ph.D. in Electron Device Physics from Princeton University in 1970 and began his employment at RCA Laboratories in 1969 as a Member of the Technical Staff. His next assignment was in Indianapolis in 1977 in RCA's Consumer Electronics Division where five years later he was promoted to Vice President of Engineering. When the David Sarnoff Research Center became a subsidiary of SRI International in 1987, Carnes returned as Vice President, Consumer Electronics and Information Sciences Research. During his tenure at RCA/Sarnoff Corporation Carnes was actively involved with the development of charge coupled devices and he was acknowledged by fellow scientists as a pioneer in the evolution of high definition and wide screen television.

Following Carnes's twenty-one years employment and distinguished career, in 1990 he was elevated to the position of President of the David Sarnoff Research Center (renamed Sarnoff Corporation in 1997) until his retirement in 2002. He later returned as interim President in 2006 to 2007 for a period of ten months.

Carnes was awarded many prestigious awards for his work, including the David Sarnoff Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement in 1981, membership in the National Academy of Engineering, and membership in the European Academy of Sciences. In addition, he was honored by Penn State as a distinguished alumnus for his outstanding work in the science of electronics.