Greg Merritt Named Director of Corporate Marketing of Cree, Inc.

Durham, NC – March 30, 2006 – Cree, Inc. today announced that Greg Merritt has been named the company’s new Director of Corporate Marketing.

As Director of Corporate Marketing, Greg will manage the corporate marketing team, and will focus on expanding Cree’s public presence in their addressed markets, as well as in the local community.

“We are very pleased to have Greg join the team at Cree,” said Chris James, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Cree Inc. “Greg brings a wealth of marketing experience and knowledge to Cree, and his expertise will help us promote Cree and its products globally.”

Prior to joining the company, Greg led his own marketing consultancy, New Dominion Group, LLC, and before that, spent 20 years with Nortel in a variety of senior marketing positions.

“I am extremely excited to be joining the team at Cree,” said Greg Merritt, Director of Corporate Marketing, Cree Inc. “LED lighting is causing a revolution in lighting, and Cree is well-positioned to lead this revolution.”

About Cree, Inc.
Cree is a market-leading innovator and manufacturer of semiconductors and devices that enhance the value of solid-state lighting, power and communications products by significantly increasing their energy performance and efficiency. Key to Cree’s market advantage is its world-class materials expertise in silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) for chips and packaged devices that can handle more power in a smaller space while producing less heat than other available technologies, materials and products. Cree’s product families include blue and green LED chips, lighting LEDs in all colors, LED backlighting solutions, power switching devices and radio frequency/wireless devices. For additional product specifications please refer to www.cree.com, or call (919) 313-5000.