Board

Karen Alter is Chief Operating Officer of SIPX.  Karen is passionate about growing businesses that use technology to solve important business and societal problems. Prior to joining SIPX, Karen was an Executive-in-Residence for XSeed Capital, where she helped identify the commercial challenges and opportunities facing many early-stage companies. Karen began her west coast career at Intel Corporation, where she held several senior management positions from 1992-2000, including Vice President, Microprocessor Marketing and Business Planning. After leaving Intel, Karen helped lead or advised numerous startups. She was Vice President, Strategy and Chief Process Architect for Rapt, a pricing optimization firm (sold to Microsoft in 2008); Vice President, Global Marketing at Better Place,  a global electric vehicle services and network provider; and Chief Marketing Officer at Solyndra, an innovative manufacturer of solar rooftop panels.

Karen has served on the Board of Trustees of numerous non-profits over the last two decades, including the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center, the Gideon Hausner Day School, the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley and Hillel at Stanford. Karen holds both BA and MBA degrees from Harvard University.

Kenneth Cramer is an attorney and partner with the law firm of Paradigm Counsel LLP. Mr. Cramer has over 20 years of legal and business experience and has represented and worked for both public and private companies as an attorney, businessman, and executive in high-tech and cleantech businesses.

Prior to joining Paradigm Counsel, Mr. Cramer practiced law at Orrick and Fenwick & West, and served as in-house or general counsel at public and privately-held technology companies.

Mr. Cramer earned his law degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his MBA from the Haas Business School at the University of California, Berkeley.

Lee Hornberger, PhD, is a mechanical engineer who has worked in industry and academia in Silicon Valley for over 35 years. Dr. Hornberger was Associate Dean of Engineering at Santa Clara University and taught materials and manufacturing courses in the Mechanical Engineering Department for over 15 years.

In industry, Dr. Hornberger has been a materials specialist for Apple, Acurex, Life Support Systems, Hewlett Packard, BAE Systems, IBM and ITT. She has supervised engineers on projects from spacesuits to solar collectors. Currently, Dr. Hornberger is a materials consultant with Hornberger Engineering.

Dr. Hornberger has a lifelong commitment to bring woman and minorities into engineering and science. She has developed and participated in Santa Clara University’s “Woman in Engineering” High School Programs, San Jose State’s “Expanding Your Horizons,” the Society of Woman Engineers Mentor Programs and numerous engineering & science days and fairs. She sees SiE as a unique and permanent program that can open the doors for all students in science and engineering.

Tamara L. McInerney is a partner in the tax practice of Burr Pilger Mayer Inc. Ms. McInerney has over 19 years of experience in providing accounting and tax services to closely-held businesses, high-net worth individuals, trusts and non profit organizations.

Ms. McInerney specializes in trust and estate taxation, non profit entities, and in providing income and estate planning to high net worth individuals and closely-held businesses. She has extensive experience working with charitable remainder trusts and private foundations.