Karla Jurvetson (born 1966) is an American physician, philanthropist, and major Democratic donor. She has particularly focused on supporting politically under-represented groups, including people of color and women. Since 2018, she has been active in efforts to protect American democracy and voting rights. Career Jurvetson works as a private practice physician in Los Altos, California. Personal life Karla Jurvetson was born in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in Palo Alto, CA. Her mother was a nurse, her father was a physician and medical school professor, and her grandfather was a Christian chaplain in the U.S. Navy. She earned a bachelor's degree in human biology with honors and distinction from Stanford University, a medical doctorate from the University of California School of Medicine, and completed her residency at Stanford Hospital. In 1990, she married Steve Jurvetson, who became a Silicon Valley early-stage investor in companies including SpaceX in 2000 and Tesla in 2006. They were married for more than 25 years and have two children. They separated in 2015 and were divorced in 2018. In 2017, to honor her father's 50-year career as a medical school professor, Jurvetson helped fund the construction of the new Stanford Medical Center and endowed a professorship in her parents’ names. Philanthropy Jurvetson served on the board of directors of Peninsula Open Space Trust from 2003 to 2006 and was a founding donor to Wildlife Conservation Network (2002 to present). After touring deforestation on the slopes of Mauna Kea in 2016, she sponsored the planting of 1,000 indigenous trees through the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative. Jurvetson has been a trustee on several other non-profit boards, including the San Francisco Ballet (2000-2003). She was named by Gentry Magazine as one of the top philanthropists in the San Francisco Bay Area. She served as a school board member (2011-2018) for The Nueva School, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and was previously a pre-kindergarten through 8th grade school. She co-chaired the school's $50 million capital campaign, which resulted in the construction of a new campus in San Mateo and a school expansion to include grades 9-12. Nueva Upper School opened one grade at a time starting in 2013, and is currently ranked in the top 10 high schools in America. Political activism Karla Jurvetson has volunteered as a political organizer and a fundraiser for many Democratic candidates over the past thirty years, and is