Early Life
Melinda Ann French was born on August 15, 1964, in Dallas, Texas. She is the second of four children. Her father, Raymond Joseph French Jr., was an aerospace engineer, and her mother, Elaine Agnes Amerland, was a homemaker. She graduated as valedictorian from Ursuline Academy of Dallas in 1982.
Rise to Success
Melinda earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and economics from Duke University in 1986 and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1987. She joined Microsoft in 1987 as a product manager, where she developed multimedia products. Over the course of her nine years working for Microsoft, French worked her way up to general manager of information products. She met Bill Gates at Microsoft and they married in 1994. She left the company in 1996 to focus on family and philanthropy.
Key Business Strategies
Melinda's career shifted towards philanthropy, co-founding the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her strategies involved focusing on global health, poverty alleviation, education, and gender equity initiatives. In 2015, she founded Pivotal Ventures, an investment firm focused on accelerating social progress.
Philanthropy
Melinda French Gates has been dedicated to making a positive impact on the world. Her work has centered on improving global health, supporting women and families, and promoting education. As of June 2024, she stepped down from her role at the Gates Foundation, though she remains committed to her philanthropic work.