The Stanford University Board of Trustees has elected two new members, Claire Thielke ’08 M.S. ’08 M.S. ’09 and Jeffrey Bird ’82 Ph.D. ’88 M.D. ’92. The pair will begin their five-year terms on April 1.
Thielke, global head of product development for Prologis, and Bird, founder and managing director of Bluebird Ventures, were elected to the Board during what Board Chair Lily Sarafan ’03 M.S. ’03 called a pivotal moment for the University.
“It’s a great pleasure to welcome Claire and Jeff to the Board of Trustees,” Sarafan told The Stanford Report. “Their leadership experience, global perspectives, and enduring commitment to Stanford’s mission will strengthen the board’s work during a consequential period that calls for both ambition and careful stewardship.”
Bird, who earned his undergraduate degree in biological sciences, a Ph.D. in cancer biology and an M.D. from Stanford, founded Bluebird Ventures in 2019. He previously spent nearly two decades at Sutter Hill Ventures, investing in early-stage life sciences companies, and also held senior leadership roles at Gilead Sciences. In 2012, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Verinata Health, where he led the introduction of noninvasive prenatal testing into the medical field.
“I am honored to serve Stanford and work more closely with the students and faculty whose ideas and expertise will help shape an increasingly complex world. I look forward to advancing Stanford’s impact in the community, including through its commitment to exceptional health care,” Bird wrote to The Daily.
Bird currently serves as vice chair of the board of Stanford Health Care, and sits on the boards of the Hoover Institution and the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) Investment Fund. In 2023, Bird and his wife, Tina Bird, endowed the Rising Bird Fellows Program, which annually supports around 100 undergraduate internship scholarships.
Thielke earned three degrees from Stanford in urban studies and civil and environmental engineering between 2008 and 2009. She currently oversees global product development at Prologis, the world’s largest industrial real estate company. Before joining Prologis in 2023, she held senior executive roles at Hines — a property management firm based in California — including senior managing director of Hines Asia Pacific and chief operating officer of Hines Investment Management. Earlier in her career, she competed as a professional athlete for Stanford’s track and field team.
“Stanford has given me so much and opened my world in ways I could never have imagined back at Donner orientation,” Thielke wrote to The Daily. “I’m honored to be able to serve this place we all love so deeply.”
Thielke also serves on the board of Zillow Group and is a Young Global Leader China delegate of the World Economic Forum. At Stanford, she has served on the board of the Stanford Management Company and as a lecturer in the urban studies program. She and her husband, Rick Thielke MBA ’09, support The Stanford Fund and the Graduate School of Business.