When Boston native Don Kramer graduated in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Northeastern became more than just his alma mater. Today, it’s an institution that carries on his family legacy.
Don Kramer’s multigenerational family involvement has included 20 years as a lecturer for the school until the early 1980s and service on many governing boards since 1989. Northeastern has a professorship and a scholarship named for Don. Three of his children and one of his grandchildren are Huskies as well.
While still lecturing at Northeastern, Don served as the president of Modicon Corporation from 1973 to 1979 after starting as a financial manager at the company in 1971. Don was later the president and CEO at Hendrix Electronics, from 1978 to 1985. While working at Hendrix, he also served as group vice president of Gould Inc. from 1979 to 1980. In 1985, Don went to TA Associates, a venture capital investing firm, and worked first as a general partner and then a special limited partner until his retirement in 1996. He is now a private investor based in Florida and Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife, Nancy Kramer.
Mr. Kramer served for many years on the Board of Trustees and is currently a Vice Chair Emeritus, putting his financial wisdom learned from his time as a student and from his career to use on many financial boards, such as the Funds and Investments Committee, the Financial Affairs Committee and the Audit Committee. His alma mater awarded him an honorary degree in business administration in 2001 to recognize his success in the field. He was elected to lifetime trustee emeritus status in 2005.
Don’s close ties with his alma mater led him to establish the Donald Kramer Trustee Professorship in Finance and the Donald Kramer Presidential Scholarship Fund. He also supports students through other scholarships, such as the President Freeland Scholarship and the George and Kathleen Matthews Scholarship. He is a member of both the Huntington Society and the Frank Palmer Speare Society.
Don has three sons, including John Kramer, MBA’97, and Michael Kramer, MJ’96; two daughters, including Ann Kramer Reilly, BA’84; and [number] grandchildren, including Victoria Reilly, CJ’13.
Don holds a master’s degree in business administration from Boston University.