Women of Influence
(6 votes, average: 5 out of 5)April 15, 2009 by Erin Casey
Associated Press
Melinda Gates: Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders
Melinda Gates believes there is one way out of poverty: education. As co-chair and co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she is committed to improving education and enabling more students to attend and graduate from college.
The Gates’ philanthropy has infused optimism into areas they’ve targeted—inspiring more medical students to choose careers in global health and bringing real hope to educators struggling with limited resources at failing schools.
The foundation, launched in 2000, has invested almost $4 billion in education—$2 billion in high schools. The money has helped provide teacher training, increase curriculum standards and provide needed resources in 2,600 schools in 45 states and Washington, D.C.
“Completing high school ready for college is a key transition point in the path out of poverty. A second transition is earning a post-credential with value in the workplace,” Melinda Gates said at the recent Forum on Education. “If young people fail to make the first transition, it’s unlikely they will make the second. If they fail to make the second, it’s likely they will be poor. Helping millions of low-income Americans navigate these two transitions is the core of our work in the United States.”
Education is a primary focus of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, particularly in the United States. But the foundation has a broad range of philanthropic efforts. The couple plans to give as much as $100 billion of their Microsoft fortune to right some of the world’s greatest inequities—and they give where their funds can effect the most change. The foundation’s Global Development Program, for example, focuses on agricultural development and financial services for the poor, as well as initiatives to improve water, sanitation and hygiene. And the Global Health Program seeks to fight disease and improve health in developing countries. Regardless of the country or the program, the overarching goal is to improve quality of life.
Melinda French Gates grew up in a middle-class Dallas family that made education a priority. Valedictorian of her high-school class, she earned both undergraduate and MBA degrees from Duke University in only five years. She was one of 10 MBA students, and the only woman, to start at Microsoft following graduation in 1987.
She met Bill Gates at a public relations event in New York. While reluctant when the CEO asked her to dinner a few weeks later, the couple hit it off. They married in 1994. Melinda’s career at Microsoft continued to advance until 1996 when she was named a trustee on Duke University’s board. She served on that board until 2003. Today, in addition to overseeing the foundation, she is a board director for The Washington Post.
Extremely protective of the family’s privacy, Gates, 54, is a mother of three. Though she and her husband have very different personalities, she says she’s learned from him how to step up and use her strengths—a trait she hopes to model for and develop in her children.
Loading ...
I am really inspired and impressed by these women. When I think of my own accomplishments, they pale in comparison. They are very strong and talented women and I am glad they are being recognized for their achievements.