Melinda French Gates

Melinda French Gates (born August 15, 1964) is an American philanthropist and former general manager at Microsoft. Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she has significantly influenced global health and development. In 2006, she launched the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative, aiming to solve pressing health issues in developing countries. In 2012, French Gates spearheaded the London Summit on Family Planning, which mobilized commitments to provide contraceptive access to 120 million women by 2020. She also authored the book "The Moment of Lift" in 2019, advocating for women's empowerment. Melinda holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and economics from Duke University and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business.