Karen Bartleson
Karen Bartleson
Former President of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

B.S. Engineering Science (1980)​
  • Bartleson is the former president of IEEE, the world's largest technical professional association with more than 420,000 members in 160 countries.
  • Until 2015 she worked as the senior director of corporate programs at Synopsys and she has more than 35 years of experience in the semiconductor industry.
  • Karen began doing professional service for IEEE early in her career as an electrical engineer and worked her way up through the leadership, all the way to President of the organization.
  • She is a fabulous role model to all engineering students, especially female students, at Cal Poly. She regularly speaks on campus and serves as a mentor to students.
  • As president of the IEEE Standards Association in 2013-14 she led the development of a new strategic plan and finalized the IEEE's membership in the Global Standards Collaboration. She also chaired and led development of of a strategic plan in areas of Internet governance and cyber-security.
  • She has published numerous articles about standards and universities and is the author of the book, "The Ten Commandments for Effective Standards: Practical Insights for Creating Technical Standards."​

Notable CSU Alumni in science & technology

science & technology
San Luis Obispo