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It is with deep sadness that the IEEE Foundation acknowledges the passing of Mary Ellen Martin Zellerbach, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, business leader, mentor, and dedicated IEEE volunteer. Her commitment to the IEEE community and invaluable contributions as a member of the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors and the IEEE Investment Committee will be profoundly missed. To honor her memory, the IEEE Foundation has established the IEEE Mary Ellen Martin Zellerbach Memorial Fund and will match up to US$20,000 in donations to this initiative.

The Mary Ellen Martin Zellerbach Memorial Fund honors Mary Ellen’s life and preserves her memory by supporting a program that was dear to her, the IEEE Women In Engineering (WIE) Family Cares Grant (FCG). This vital program provides financial assistance to IEEE WIE members—both men and women—responsible for caring for family members to allow them to attend IEEE conferences to enhance their academic and professional careers. Eligible members can receive up to US$1,000 to help cover the expenses of caring for a child, parent, or other dependent living in their household while attending a conference. Mary Ellen and her husband, John Zellerbach, were among the first contributors to the IEEE WIE FCG program when it began in 2023.

Through the Mary Ellen Martin Zellerbach Fund, IEEE WIE will annually award FCG Grants in honor of Mary Ellen. Beginning in 2026 and as long as the Fund remains active, recipients will be recognized as “Mary Ellen Martin Zellerbach Family Cares Grant recipients” (Zellerbach Grantees).

Jerry Hudgins, IEEE Foundation Vice President, Programs, shared, “I think the specific program is a needed one, and a great [way] to honor Mary Ellen.”

Celebrating Mary Ellen Martin Zellerbach’s Many Achievements

At the time of her passing, Mary Ellen was a member of the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors, which she joined in 2022 after serving on the IEEE Investment Committee for 11 years and as a member of the Future of the IEEE Foundation ad hoc committee in 2021. Additional non-profit responsibilities include being a founding member, Regional Co-Chair, and board member of the Wellesley College Business Leadership Council; serving as a trustee of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business Trust; and serving on the Investment Committee of the Cisco Systems Foundation.

Mary Ellen was Managing Director of Martin Investment Management, LLC, a majority women-owned SEC-registered investment adviser. Mary Ellen was also a founding investor in the firm’s fintech affiliate, Censible.co, which aggregates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data points to measure how stocks, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) perform on ESG issues such as carbon emissions and gender diversity.

Mary Ellen began her career at Wells Fargo Investment Advisors after receiving an A.B. in economics from Wellesley College and her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. As part of the original pioneering index fund team, she introduced and managed the first international index fund. Mary Ellen played a key role in placing the first S&P 500 Index Futures trade on behalf of a U.S. institutional investor. In 1983, she was one of the founding principals of Mellon Capital Management. Mary Ellen was also an outside adviser to the Retirement and Benefits Investment Committee of Vituity, a transformative healthcare provider. She and her husband, John, spoke frequently on the topic of work/life balance.

You can read more about Mary Ellen’s extraordinary life in her obituary.

Reflections from the IEEE Foundation

Marko Delimar, IEEE Foundation President, noted, “Mary Ellen brought extensive financial experience and perspective to the Foundation Board. She was well-respected and a valuable member of our team, and she will be greatly missed.”

In May 2025, Mary Ellen and her husband, John, were proudly recognized as members of the IEEE Heritage Circle at the Nikola Tesla giving level. Mary Ellen accepted their certificate during the 2025 IEEE WIE International Leadership Conference in San Jose, CA, USA. The Zellerbachs’ good friends Sally Wood and John Treicher, both IEEE Heritage Circle members, joined Mary Ellen for a photo shown on the right.

Karen Gaulchie, IEEE Foundation Executive Director, shared, “I was deeply saddened by Mary Ellen’s passing. Such a short time ago, I was thrilled to welcome Mary Ellen and John as Honored Philanthropists into the IEEE Heritage Circle and present their certificate. The Foundation is deeply grateful for Mary Ellen’s support and the positive impact she made. We will miss her.”

To honor Mary Ellen’s memory, please consider supporting the “Mary Ellen Martin Zellerbach Memorial Fund” by visiting www.ieeefoundation.org/zellerbach. The IEEE Foundation will match the first US$20,000 of giving.

If you have questions or would like to hold a personal consultation about the Fund or ways to contribute, contact Eileen Heltzer at e.heltzer@ieee.org or (732) 799-4431. Thank you.