Jaleh Daie
Dr. Jaleh Daie has enjoyed a rich and rewarding career with impactful contributions in both public and private sectors including business, foundations, academia, government and NGOs. She has had the honor of serving the administrations of three Presidents and has been recognized through many awards including induction into the inaugural class of Women in Technology International Hall of Fame. A noted life scientist, Jaleh has gained uncommon depth and breadth of skill sets in addition to technical expertise, especially strategic thinking and financial and capital markets expertise. Jaleh is currently managing partner at Aurora Equity, investing in early stage start-ups across a broad range of technologies and consumer products. Previously, she was head of science and engineering at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (at the time, the largest foundation) where she provided executive and technical direction for a $120 million annual budget and funded a diversified S&T portfolio including the coveted David Packard Fellowships. Jaleh started her career in academic; at Rutgers University and University of Wisconsin-Madison. At UW-Madison, she was professor and senior science advisor to president of UW System (26 campuses). While there she took a sabbatical in Washington, DC and served as science liaison to the President’s National Science & Technology Council working across all federal S&T agencies. She worked on Presidential initiatives and served as special assistant to the Chief Scientist at NOAA, US Department of Commerce. At Rutgers, she achieved rank of full professor in six years (average is 10-12 years), was named Henry Rutgers Research Fellow, elected chairman of her department (first woman in her field), founded and served as chief executive of a major multidisciplinary center with 27 lead scientists and as well as director of a university-wide graduate program with 45 lead scientists. At one point she was managing three independent operational units –for one of which she was the conceptual architect and another the outcome of her driving the integration and consolidation of several programs--- in addition to simultaneously managing her own successful research operation. Jaleh has served in various roles on several boards among which are: A6 Corporation, Nokia Innovent, Investigen, Linkore, LightFull Foods, nine consecutive years on the Selection Panel for the White House Fellows (nine consecutive years under two Presidents), chairman of the board of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (Washington, DC with aggregate membership of over one million) and President of the national Association for Women in Science (over 40 chapters nationwide). In addition, she has served on the board of directors of the CRDF Global (WDC, Finance/Investment committee, chair of Nomination), board of Governors of the Commonwealth Club of California (Finance Committee, Chair of Gala Dinner), Treasurer (Exec.committee) and board director at the Space Foundation (Colorado Spring), trustee of the World Affairs Council (CA), Future Committee of the Tech Museum in San Jose, treasurer of the Legacy Foundation (CA), board director at Sigma Xi (NC), Dean’s Advisory Council at UC-Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Kilby International Awards (Texas) and many other panels in biotechnology, entrepreneurship, women in science, water/food/agriculture and women’s health areas. Jaleh has enjoyed extensive international engagements through collaboration in eight countries, numerous presentations including the Biotechnology Distinguished Speaker in South Africa. Her other awards include: Teksia Lifetime Achievement Award; honorary doctorate from Dominican University; Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; “25 Smartest Who Make a Difference” and The Scientist’s list of “Leaders of Science”.