Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, pictured here at a past shareholder meeting, is the only employee currently on the board. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) When Microsoft published its proxy statement in October, it contained an unusual shareholder resolution. The proposal? Adding a rank-and-file employee to Microsoft's board of directors. Microsoft's filing left the identity of the shareholder behind the proposal a mystery, but GeekWire followed up ahead of the company's annual meeting this week and got the name: NorthStar Asset Management. And after a short time on the phone with NorthStar's head of shareholder activism, it became clear that what first seemed like a novelty is actually part of a broad strategy to reshape corporate governance in Sen. Elizabeth Warren's image. Microsoft is one of the first major companies NorthStar is pushing to democratize its board — but it won't be the last.