Meet Our Strategic Advisors
The SolPods Strategic Advisory Committee brings together professionals with expertise in finance, marketing, and impact investing. Their guidance supports SolPods’ growth and strategy, strengthening our ability to deliver meaningful, measurable impact in sustainability education.
Michelle Tsai
Michelle Stolpman Tsai is a health sciences executive with over 20 years of experience working in commercial leadership and commercial strategy for large and small pharmaceutical companies. For the last decade of her career, Michelle has been focused on worldwide marketing and launch strategies for products in the treatment of cancers like lung cancer, acute myeloid leukemia and breast cancer. Michelle has a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a PharmD from the University of California, San Francisco. Michelle lives and works in Switzerland where she is also a volunteer on the Board of the International School of Basel. She is dedicated to her two teens and providing a sustainable future for the next generations to come.
Klara McClurkan
Klara McClurkan is a finance executive with over 25 years of experience in accounting, financial management and strategic leadership. She spent 17 years working for KPMG LLP leading audit and advisory projects for clients in diverse industries across the US, Europe and Asia. From 2018 to 2023, she was Vice President & Controller of First Bank of Greenwich. Currently, Klara is Comptroller of Modern Bank in New York City. She has a Master Degree in Law from Charles University in Prague and Master Degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Economics in Prague. Klara is a CPA, is IFRS certified and is fluent in English, Czech, Slovak, German, Spanish and Russian. Klara is passionate about sustainability and environmental responsibility and loves traveling, opera, ballet, hiking and skiing.
Ina Lee
Ina is a global nomad and seasoned investment professional. Over the span of 22 years, she worked in portfolio management, institutional sales and marketing for several global financial institutions including Credit Agricole, Dresdner Bank and Dragon Capital of Vietnam. As the Market Building Lead for the Global Impact Investing Network’s (GIIN) Member Engagement team, Ina curates programs which support members to deploy, scale and accelerate capital into impact investing structures intended to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In her free time, Ina is a practitioner of earth-based wisdom traditions and strives to restore agency and voice to non-humans. Ina earned a BA in International Relations and Economics from Boston University. She also holds certificates from Pacifica Graduate Institute, Four Winds School of Energy Medicine and Yoga Alliance 200-hr yoga instructor program.
Laura Byrd
Laura Byrd is a CPA with over 20 years of experience in accounting, technical reporting, and operational strategy for iconic brands. She currently serves as Controller at Mill, an innovative company that helps households and workplaces prevent food waste and keep food waste out of landfills, creating smarter systems for people and the planet. At Mill, Laura is responsible for overseeing finance operations, ensuring efficient process design, and supporting the company’s mission to reshape everyday behavior around food waste. Previously, Laura held leadership roles at BFA Industries, the San Francisco Giants, Guidewire Software, Dolby Laboratories, Gap, and Deloitte, where she managed accounting for mergers and acquisitions, implemented process improvements, and led teams in complex reporting and compliance. Her expertise spans technical accounting, budgeting and forecasting, internal controls, and operational strategy across high-growth and global organizations. Laura is also a passionate sustainability advocate. She founded San Mateo’s first zero-waste store, Byrd’s Filling Station, and is a trained Climate Reality Leader. She has received multiple sustainability awards for her work in her community and remains committed to fostering environmental responsibility and practical solutions that create meaningful impact.