
Melinda Gates
philanthropist
Health. Poverty. Education...Women. Children. Families.
Melinda Gates is so much more than just the wife of a rich + famous man. She's the woman behind ~ and in front ~ leading the charge to change the world. Melinda championed philanthropy from the beginning of her relationship with Microsoft's Bill Gates, taking over management of the family's foundations in 1997.
From a modest Roman Catholic family in Texas to the leader of one of the world's most powerful foundations, Melinda fights for the basic rights that empower people ~ especially women ~ to reach their potential.
known for
preserving her privacy | despite her high-profile marriage and foundation leadership, Melinda does not seek attention. The first magazine profile of her didn’t appear until 2008! Melinda + Bill keep their children out of the public eye, and her home life is private.
education | while much of Melinda's attention is directed at the developing world, she remains active in promoting education in the U.S. ~ funding schools, teacher quality + leveling the playing field for low-income and minority students.
women, children, girls | Family Planning has become her signature issue ~ drew criticism {and praise} as a Catholic for supporting contraception. She deplores politicization of birth control access, which is part of her refusal to discuss abortion.
1987 | started at Microsoft, working on projects like Publisher and Encarta. Had an offer from IBM, but a woman at that company advised her to go to Microsoft instead—women found few obstacles to advancement. Worked her way up to general manager of Information Products. She met the boss at a trade show—they dated for 7 years before marrying in 1994. Left Microsoft in 1996 when her first child, Jennifer, was born, and began managing the family's philanthropic responsibilities a year later—returning to the working world with a new career path and deeper mission.
2000 | formed Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, merging the Gates Learning Foundation with Bill's father's William H. Gates Foundation.
2012 | her work in Africa and Southeast Asia cemented a long-held belief that parents are parents no matter their nationality, and women's and children's health are directly impacted by family planning. She looked for a person to tap to spearhead a campaign for access to contraceptives, and found one—herself! As she told the New York Times Magazine, "It's about time women were on the agenda."
from | to
Microsoft employee {1987-1996} | billionaire philanthropist
born on
August 15, 1964
born in
Dallas, Texas
birth name
Melinda Ann French
citizen of
United States of America
daughter of
Elaine Amerland + Raymond French
~ engineer father ran a cleaning business on the side to fund his children’s educations ~ in high school, Melinda scrubbed and scoured ~
sister of
1 sister + 2 brothers
grew up in | lives in
Dallas | Medina, Wash. {near Seattle}
educated at | studied with
Ursuline Academy | 1982
Duke University
~ computer science + economics | 1986 ~
~ MBA | 1987 ~
married to
Bill Gates
~ 1994-present ~
mother of
Jennifer, Phoebe, Rory
advocate for | influenced by | worked alongside
women and children’s health ~ education | Mary Lasker | Hillary + Chelsea Clinton
accolades
TIME person of the year | 2005
Spanish Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation | 2006
Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle | 2006
Honorary Dame of the British Empire | 2013
on Forbes "Most Powerful Women" list | 2013, 2014
in her spare time
~not much of it!~
loves long walks
tweets
@melindagates
image credits
UK Department for International Development | CC A-SA 2.0
World Economic Forum | CC A-SA 2.0
collapse bio bits
"My husband and I are really just beginning our journey in philanthropy. And I can't think of any better way to describe it than to say that it is a long walk we hope is in the right direction."
Washington Women's Foundation Annual Meeting | april 2000
"You can't even come close to defining the value of a human life in words like 'effectiveness.'"
Washington Women's Foundation Annual Meeting | april 2000
"It used to be a joke at Microsoft that you become a vice president right after your biggest mistake."
Washington Women's Foundation Annual Meeting | april 2000
"I love technology because I've seen what it can do—and has done—for women."
Washington Women's Foundation Annual Meeting | april 2000
"I am inspired by the walk of another woman."
Washington Women's Foundation Annual Meeting | april 2000
"But we also believe in taking risks, because that's how you move things along."
Becoming parents gave world's richest couple a new mission in life | december 2003
"I think it's very important that we instill in our kids that it has nothing to do with their name or their situation that they're growing up in; it has to do with who they are as an individual."
One-On-One With Melinda Gates | november 2004
"Kids are falling through the cracks and nobody notices it. That to me is what's wrong with the school system."
Failing Grade: What Bill and Melinda Gates Want You to Know | april 2006
"Education is the key to opportunity, and the opportunity is not equal."
National Council of La Raza | july 2009
"Good teaching is the most important factor in student learning."
National Council of La Raza | july 2009
"I'm constantly saying to myself, ‘I'm lucky I was born in the United States.'"
Melinda Gates: gods with chequebooks | september 2010
"You can't overstate how much the wives are part of the decision-making."
Melinda Gates: gods with chequebooks | september 2010
"In the developing world, it's about time that women are on the agenda."
New York Times Magazine | october 2010
"We all want to bring every good thing to our children. But what's not universal is our ability to provide every good thing."
TEDxChange | april 2012
"You learn by doing, you learn by trying and making mistakes, and it's the questions you ask."
TEDxChange | april 2012
"Birth control doesn't make sex any less sacred . . . In that choice, we're also honoring the sacredness of the family, and the sacredness of the mother's life and the children's life by saving their lives. And to me, that's incredibly sacred too."
TEDxChange | april 2012
"We’re not giving out aid, we’re providing people with the tools they need to improve their lives."
How I got Bill Gates to give away his billions | july 2012
"I care much more about saving the lives of mothers and babies than I do about a fancy museum somewhere."
How I got Bill Gates to give away his billions | july 2012
"As a Catholic I believe in this religion, there are amazing things about this religion, amazing moral teachings that I do believe in, but I also have to think about how we keep women alive."
Melinda Gates challenges Vatican by vowing to improve contraception | july 2012
"I believe in not letting women die, I believe in not letting babies die, and to me that's more important than arguing about what method of contraception."
Melinda Gates challenges Vatican by vowing to improve contraception | july 2012
"I'm often asked what motivates me to do the work I do. I never hesitate for a moment. It's the people."
Why I'm Inspired by Mary Lasker and I Hope You Will be Too | september 2013
"Any morning when I get to talk to my daughters as they're getting ready for school is a day I celebrate girls."
Celebrating All Girls on International Day of the Girl | october 2013
"Girls everywhere have the same ambitions for their futures. Girls everywhere want more for themselves than their societies tell them is reasonable to expect. And girls everywhere—when they have a chance to be themselves—make the world around them better."
Celebrating All Girls on International Day of the Girl | october 2013
"Be authentic. And that’s why I look so forward to when we have lots of women of different styles and lots of types of leadership positions."
Women and Girls Count | february 2014
"My mom always told me, 'set your own agenda or someone else will set it for you.' Now I tell my children the same thing."
Bring Every Good Thing to Our Children | march 2014
"Our desire to bring every good thing to our children is a force for good in the world."
Bring Every Good Thing to Our Children | march 2014
"When women have a voice in their society, they use it to speak up not just for themselves, but for their children."
Why you must stand up to your mother-in-law | july 2014
"Let's remember not to take our voices for granted."
Why you must stand up to your mother-in-law | july 2014
"Whether 'bossy' is a good word or a bad word doesn't really matter to me. What matters is saying to girls: 'Be yourself.’"
The savior in Seattle | august 2014
"MYTH: Teachers get the summers off. FACT: Teachers spend the summers preparing for a grueling fall."
@melindagates | august 2014
"If we want students to succeed, we have to give teachers the tools they tell us they need."
@melindagates | august 2014
"It's important to remember that behind every data point is a daughter, a mother, a sister—a person with hopes and dreams."
Melinda Gates Never Forgets the Women Behind the Numbers | september 2014
"There's something about turning 50 where you feel really free to be yourself."
Sunday With…Melinda Gates | october 2014
"Women speaking up for themselves and for those around them is the strongest force we have to change the world."
Melinda Gates shares scalable ways to invest in women | october 2014
for further reading about Melinda Gates:
curated with care by Meghan Miller Brawley {august 2014}
foundation | Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation visitor center
Optimistic. Not one to back down from a challenge. Melinda had been running the family's charitable foundations for several years, following her departure from Microsoft after her first child was born. In 2000, she and Bill merged these organizations into one—the now-massive Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Children—the future—are at its heart, through education programs, women's and children's health {family planning and vaccines}, agriculture and nutrition, as well as water and sanitation initiatives.
Adbar on Flickr | Own work. CC A-SA 3.0 | http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_and_Melinda_Gates_Foundation_visitor_center.JPG
speech | TEDxChange | april 5, 2012
Melinda took to Tedx to tell her own story + those of the many mothers she has met who have reaffirmed her commitment to empowering women in the most fundamental way ~ by giving them control over their own bodies. The teachings of her Roman Catholic faith gave her pause, but, in the end, she believes improving + saving women's lives is inseparable from that faith.
TEDxChange
remarks | London Summit on Family Planning
Melinda speaking at London Summit on Family Planning, sharing her determination to make family planning and access to contraception her biggest cause. She'd already spoken at TEDxChange in April of 2012 on her commitment to giving women fundamental power ~ control over their own bodies. The teachings of her Roman Catholic faith gave her pause, but in the end, she says, improving + saving women's lives is inseparable from that faith.
Russell Watkins/DFID | CC BY-SA 2.0 | http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melinda_Gates_speaking_at_the_opening_of_the_London_Summit_on_Family_Planning_(7549052918).jpg
award | Dame of the British Empire
Justine Greening, MP and Secretary of State for International Development, presents Melinda—now Melinda Gates, DBE—with the badge of the Order as a Dame of the British Empire. She was given the honorary appointment in 2013 for her philanthropic services and commitment to international development and aid.
Justine Greening presents Melinda Gates with the badge of the Order as a Dame of the British Empire | Simon Davis/DFID | may 21, 2014 | CC-by-nd 2.0