Elizabeth Nelson

Betsey Nelson, chair of the DAI Board of Managers, is an advisor and corporate director for high-growth companies in the technology, telecom, and Internet markets and has a passion for helping entrepreneurs build great businesses. She currently serves on the boards of three public companies: Nokia, a global leader in 5G infrastructure; Upwork, the largest online marketplace for freelance talent; and Zendesk, a pioneer in software as a service. Betsey also works with various emerging growth companies and venture capital funds, and is an advisor to the Mercy Corps Social Venture Fund, a seed stage impact investment fund.

Prior board service includes Ancestry, Autodesk, CNET Networks, Macromedia, Pandora Media, and SuccessFactors, and she has chaired board audit, compensation, and governance committees. Betsey served in various executive positions—including Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary—at Macromedia, Inc., a global multimedia software company, from 1996 until its acquisition by Adobe Systems Inc. in 2006.

Before joining Macromedia, Betsey spent eight years at Hewlett-Packard Company, where she held various positions in international finance and corporate development. She began her career at Robert Nathan Associates in Washington, D.C., where she was involved in international development projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Bank. Betsey holds an M.B.A. in finance with distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BSFS degree in Foreign Service magna cum laude from Georgetown University.