Melinda French Gates

Melinda French Gates (born Melinda Ann French; August 15, 1964) is an American philanthropist. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, she attended Duke University, from which she received a degree in computer science and economics as well as an MBA. Shortly after joining Microsoft in 1987 as a multimedia product developer, she began dating the company's co-founder and then-CEO Bill Gates. She and Gates married in 1994 and have three children together.

In 2000, the couple jointly founded and co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable organization. For their philanthropic endeavors, which focused on global health, development, and education, the couple received numerous awards and honors, including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honour.

Following the couple's 2021 divorce, French Gates resigned in 2024 as co-chair of the foundation, which was subsequently renamed the Gates Foundation, with Bill Gates as its sole chair. As part of her settlement, she received $12.5 billion for her own independent charitable work, which she has stated will focus on women and families. She has since become a prominent megadonor to the Democratic Party, with a focus on abortion rights. She endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election.

''Forbes'' magazine has consistently ranked French Gates as one of the world's most powerful women. She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2021. Provided by Wikipedia