27 Oct Honoring Carl Gulbrandsen: a visionary champion for Wisconsin innovation
Carl Gulbrandsen
Carl Gulbrandsen, who was named chairman of the Morgridge Board of Trustees in 2020 and a member since its inception, died October 17 after a lengthy illness.
His leadership and vision during his 16 years as managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) resulted in unprecedented technological innovation and a doubling of the foundation’s investment portfolio to $2.6 billion.
“Our WARF family offers our deepest condolences to Carl’s wife, Mary, and his children Lars Gulbrandsen, Ellen Jalkut, Erik Gulbrandsen, and their families,” says Erik Iverson, WARF’s CEO. “Carl’s legacy of commitment to advancing university research and bringing scientific solutions forward to benefit the world continues in our work today and always will.”
Under Gulbrandsen’s leadership, WARF—the independent nonprofit patenting and licensing organization for the University of Wisconsin–Madison—more than tripled its annual support to the university from $43.0 million in fiscal year 2000 to $156.8 million in fiscal year 2016. When Gulbrandsen started as WARF’s managing director in 2000, WARF’s investment portfolio had a market value of $1.3 billion. When he left, that amount had doubled.
The Morgridge Institute would not exist without Carl’s guidance and vision.
– Brad Schwartz