Alumni in Residence with Pam Martinson J.D. ’89 of Visionary Fiber Technologies, Inc.

Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 12:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. ET

The Alumni in Residence program connects current HLS students with accomplished HLS alumni for one-on-one career mentoring and advice. You’re invited to meet with Pam Martinson J.D. ’89 during their virtual office hours. Sign up for a 20-minute Zoom appointment.

Pamela Martinson is a business-focused leader, board member and counselor with financial, corporate governance, risk management, legal and bank regulatory skills. She brings a unique combination of practical business, legal and financial experience to the board. Martinson’s career has focused on assisting financial institutions and technology companies to achieve growth targets and manage enterprise risk. She held business positions with financial institutions in credit, business operations and lending and served public and private organizations.

Pam began her legal career with Cooley LLP in Silicon Valley working with start-up companies. She was most recently a senior partner with Sidley Austin LLP. Resident in its Palo Alto office, she advised executive management and boards of directors of public and private entities on complex and sensitive matters. As a member of the firm’s global finance practice and a regional leader, she advised lenders, equipment lessors and borrowers in secured debt transactions while also responsible for business development and practice profitability. Martinson works with companies to successfully navigate market disruptions, growth, ambiguity and change. She counsels emerging technology companies through complex financings and reorganizations and the process of scaling to achieve market growth.

Martinson routinely participates in her clients’ board meetings to advise on governance, financial and legal risk, and strategic initiatives. She is direct and forthright in guiding senior executives and board members through financing decisions and corporate combinations. She is skilled in communicating with stakeholders, including the entire range of equity and debt investors. Martinson is also valued for her executive coaching.

Pam is actively engaged in the business/technology community, serving as the Chief Legal Officer for Visionary Fiber Technologies, the global leader in fiber reactor separation technology, and as a board member for Aion Financial Technologies, Inc., a financial technology company, and Altos Bank, a de novo community bank. In her roles with these growing innovation companies, Pam is a key player in strategy discussions and corporate governance. Her legal and banking experience make her a valued member of Altos Bank’s loan and risk committees.

Passionate about service, Martinson shares her expertise with multiple non-profit boards. As a member of the Board of Trustees of the Woodside Priory School, Martinson addressed critical inflection points, including the hiring of a new head of school, finding solutions for faculty housing, navigating the pandemic and a bank failure and the corresponding budgetary and other impacts of each. She was a member of the executive committee, and both the Finance and Development Committees, the latter of which she chaired.

Martinson earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She holds M.B.A. and BA (Economics) degrees from The University of Denver. She enjoys being active outdoors, from hiking and racquet sports to snow skiing.