ChIPs names Laura Lee Norris to board of directors

By AI, Created 1:51 PM UTC, June 02, 2026, /AGP/ – ChIPs Network has appointed Santa Clara University School of Law professor Laura Lee Norris to its board, adding a longtime founding member and Silicon Valley chapter leader. The move underscores ChIPs’ push to expand law student and next-generation programming across its network.

Why it matters: - Laura Lee Norris brings more than 20 years of ChIPs experience and deep ties to technology law education. - ChIPs said her appointment supports efforts to grow law student and next-generation programming. - Norris’ background spans academia, startup counsel work and IP litigation, giving the board broader perspective on the legal pipeline for women in tech law.

What happened: - ChIPs Network appointed Laura Lee Norris of Santa Clara University School of Law to its Board of Directors. - Norris is a founding ChIPs member, a founding co-chairperson of the Silicon Valley chapter and a founding faculty advisor for the ChIPs Santa Clara Law chapter. - The appointment was announced June 4, 2026. - ChIPs identified Norris as a Santa Clara Law Clinical Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Innovation, Director of the Entrepreneurs Law Clinic and Co-Director of the Tech Edge J.D. program.

The details: - Norris said the organization has given so much to her and to many women in tech law. - Norris said she is honored to give back in this new role and help lead ChIPs into its next act. - Norris also serves as a certified career coach and advises students on career planning using design thinking principles. - Before joining Santa Clara Law in these roles, Norris was the first vice president of legal affairs at Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. - Norris also ran a solo practice that served more than 50 startup companies as outsourced in-house counsel. - Early in her career, Norris worked at Arnold White & Durkee as an associate IP litigation attorney. - Norris also worked at Intel Corporation as a patent agent. - Dorian Daley, ChIPs board chair and a Santa Clara Law alumna, said Norris’ varied background will bring a new perspective to the organization. - Daley said Norris’ work at Santa Clara Law spans academia, research and developing next-generation advocates. - Joan Toth, ChIPs executive director, said Norris’ experience building ChIPs Silicon Valley and ChIPs Santa Clara Law will make her a valued board member. - Toth said Norris understands the IP landscape that emerging attorneys face.

Between the lines: - The appointment reinforces ChIPs’ focus on leadership development inside technology law, not just networking. - Norris’ mix of academic, in-house, startup and litigation experience fits ChIPs’ goal of connecting women across multiple career stages. - ChIPs appears to be using board appointments to strengthen its student and early-career pipeline.

What’s next: - ChIPs said Norris will help expand law student and NextGen programming. - Norris is expected to support continued development of emerging legal advocates through her board role. - ChIPs will continue operating as a nonprofit network with more than 10,000 members across 30 regional chapters in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa.

The bottom line: - ChIPs is adding a longtime insider with a strong technology law background to guide its next phase of growth.