Karla Jurvetson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karla Jurvetson
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Jurvetson in 2018
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Karla Tinklenberg
1966 (age 58–59) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Education | Stanford University (BS) University of California School of Medicine (MD) |
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Karla Jurvetson is an American doctor, a generous giver to good causes (called a philanthropist), and a person who helps organize political campaigns. She gives a lot of money to the Democratic Party. She especially supports women, people of color, and those from groups that are not often heard in politics. She is also a strong supporter of protecting voting rights and American democracy. Jurvetson is a leader at EMILY's List, an organization that helps elect Democratic women.
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Her Work as a Doctor
Karla Jurvetson works as a private doctor in Los Altos, California.
Her Life Story
Karla Jurvetson was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She grew up in Palo Alto, California. Her mother was a nurse, and her father, Jared Tinklenberg, was a doctor and a medical school professor. Her grandfather was a Christian chaplain in the U.S. Navy.
Karla studied human biology at Stanford University. She earned a special degree with honors. Then, she went to the University of California School of Medicine to become a doctor. She finished her medical training at Stanford Hospital.
In 1990, she married Steve Jurvetson. He became a very successful investor in Silicon Valley. He invested in big companies like SpaceX in 2000 and Tesla in 2006. They were married for over 25 years and have two children. They separated in 2015 and divorced in 2018.
In 2017, Karla helped fund a new building for the Stanford Medical Center. She also helped create a special teaching position (professorship) in her parents' names. She did this to honor her father's 50 years as a medical school professor.
Giving Back: Her Philanthropy
Karla Jurvetson has helped many non-profit groups. From 2003 to 2006, she was on the board of directors for the Peninsula Open Space Trust. This group helps protect natural lands. She also helped start the Wildlife Conservation Network in 2002, which works to protect animals.
In 2016, after seeing trees being cut down in Hawaii, she paid for 1,000 native trees to be planted. This was part of the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative.
She also served on the school board for The Nueva School in the San Francisco Bay Area. She helped lead a big fundraising effort that raised $50 million. This money helped build a new campus and add a high school to Nueva between 2011 and 2018.
Karla has been a trustee on other non-profit boards, like the San Francisco Ballet. Gentry Magazine named her one of the top 50 philanthropists in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of 2020, she also supports the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
Her Political Activism
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Karla Jurvetson has volunteered and raised money for many Democratic political candidates for over 35 years.
When she was a student at Stanford in 1988, she went door-to-door for Anna Eshoo. This was during Eshoo's first campaign for Congress. Karla handed out video tapes of Eshoo talking about her plans. In 2008, Jurvetson volunteered in Nevada for then-candidate Barack Obama. She also gave money to Democrats.
In 2016, she helped with campaigns in Nevada for Hillary Clinton and for Catherine Cortez Masto. Cortez Masto became the first Latina U.S. Senator. After Donald Trump was elected president in November 2016, Karla's donations to Democratic candidates increased a lot. She became one of the biggest political donors in the country.
In an interview about the 2018 elections, Jurvetson said that women were very active in driving change. She felt it was a "moral duty" to support women who were brave enough to run for office.
For the 2018 elections, Jurvetson helped with voter registration. She also co-hosted events to raise money for Democratic candidates. She even took a break from her medical practice to focus on political goals. These goals included expanding voting rights and protecting democracy.
Supporting Women in Politics
Karla Jurvetson gave a large donation of $5.4 million to Women Vote! This is a political action committee (PAC) run by EMILY's List. Her donation was unusual because it was in the form of shares from Baidu, a Chinese internet company. This caused some discussion because only American citizens can donate to U.S. elections. However, EMILY's List said their lawyers approved the donation. In November 2018, Jurvetson was listed as one of five "surprising million dollar donors" to the U.S. midterm elections. EMILY's List helped fund the successful campaign of Congresswoman Sharice Davids in 2018. She was the second Native American woman ever elected to Congress. Democrats then won control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.
Continuing Her Support
In November 2019, Jurvetson hosted a reception for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at her home. President Barack Obama was there. This event raised over $3.5 million for the DNC. This money was meant to support the future Democratic presidential nominee. Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha Curry, also helped host the event.
In January 2020, she gave a lot of money to Persist PAC. This PAC supported Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign. In June 2020, when Joe Biden became the Democratic nominee, Jurvetson gave $1,000,000 to his PAC, Unite the Country. She also donated to more than 500 other races across the country in 2020. These included races for Congress and state-level positions. She also gave $3.9 million to Forward Majority Action, a PAC focused on winning state-level elections.
In 2021 and early 2022, Jurvetson was a leader among big Democratic donors. She urged President Biden and other Democratic leaders to pass laws to protect voting rights. This was in response to new laws in many states that made it harder to vote. The proposed Freedom to Vote Act: John R Lewis Act would have brought back parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It would have also stopped unfair drawing of voting districts (gerrymandering), made campaign money more open, and protected early voting.
For the 2022 elections, Jurvetson focused on electing Democratic governors in states that are important for future elections. She supported candidates like Katie Hobbs in Arizona, Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan, and Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania. She also supported efforts to help Democrats win control of the state legislatures in Michigan and Pennsylvania. She supported Texas State Representative Jasmine Crockett's campaign for Congress. Jurvetson was an early supporter of Crockett, being impressed with her views on voting rights.
In 2023, Jurvetson continued to focus on elections in important states like Arizona and Wisconsin. She was one of the first national donors to Judge Janet Protasiewicz. Protasiewicz successfully won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This race was called "the most important election of 2023." Jurvetson also supported Arizona Congressperson Ruben Gallego's 2024 campaign for the U.S. Senate. She co-hosted a big fundraiser for his campaign in February 2023. Jurvetson was also among the biggest donors to the campaign to defeat Issue One in Ohio. This issue would have made it harder for voters to change the state constitution.
After President Biden's debate in June 2024, Jurvetson worked with others to encourage him to step aside. She was among the leading donors and women activists who urged the Democratic Party to support Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Jurvetson said that President Biden had put the country first. She added that he had passed the torch to Kamala Harris. She promised to work to elect Harris and protect voting rights and women's reproductive rights. Since Harris became the Democratic nominee, Jurvetson has been the largest donor to the EMILY's List PAC, Women Vote! in the 2024 election cycle.
