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French Family Association Mara French, P.O. Box 1109, Sutter Creek, CA 95685-1109.
209-267-0649 Famous Frenches Melinda Ann French Last updated by Mara French on 4/6/08. Send corrections or
additions to Mara French. |
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Melinda
at Microsoft; Persons of the Year, 2005; Melinda at Duke University Wife of Bill Gates, Microsoft
Wife
of Bill Gates, she joined Microsoft in 1987, serving as both product manager
and general manager. She now works for the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. On September 30, 1996, Melinda French Gates, a member of the MBA
Class of 1987, was named to the Duke Board of Trustees, the University's
chief governing board. The following article, reprinted from Duke's Dialogue
newspaper, followed the announcement. Gates
Joins Trustees
Duke alumna starts term in December
Duke alumna and
businesswoman Melinda French Gates of Medina, Wash., has been elected to the
Duke University Board of Trustees, officials announced Monday. She will join
the 37-member board at its December meeting, filling the five-year term left
vacant when Rex Adams accepted the deanship of Duke's Fuqua School of
Business. The
election occurred Saturday at the conclusion of the board's annual fall
meeting. Trustee Chairman John A. Koskinen said Gates will
bring many strengths to the board. "Melinda
French Gates is knowledgeable about technology - she's an experienced
businesswoman - and has strong interests in instructional technology and the
use of computers across the university," he said. "I am especially
pleased that Ms. Gates is from an area of the country of growing importance
to Duke and its alumni." Duke
President Nannerl O. Keohane said Gates "also brings to the board the
perspective of a younger alumna at a time when we are making concerted
efforts to reach out to the alumni who have graduated since 1980 and who
comprise a very large proportion of our alumni base. Melinda Gates will bring
valuable insight to our board, and I look forward to working with her." Education
Born
and raised in Dallas, Gates earned a bachelor's degree in computer science
and economics from Duke in 1986 and an M.B.A. form The Fuqua School of
Business in 1987. While an undergraduate, Gates served on the Freshman
Advisory Council, was named to the Dean's List and led tours of the campus
for prospective students. She also was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta
sorority. She has been an active alumna
since her graduation, returning to Duke in both personal and professional
capacities. From 1988-91, she served on the Alumni Admissions Advisory
Committee. GenealogyBorn
15 August 1964 in Dallas, Dallas Co., Texas. Parents:
Raymond Joseph French, Jr. (an engineer) and Elaine Agnes Amerland French. MotherŐs
maiden name is Amerland (from Germany). Raymond
Joseph French, Jr.Ős father was Raymond Joseph French, Sr., b. 14 Feb 1908
and d. Dec 1980 in Kenner, Jefferson Co., LA. She
is the second of five children born, one b: 15 Nov 1967 in Dallas Co., TX.
Not much else was found because of a privacy issue. Occupation:
Philanthropist Valedictoriam
of her class at Ursuline Academy of Dallas (all-girls Catholic academy) Duke
University, 1986 BS in computer science and economics and an MBA from Duke in 1987, and served as a member of
the Duke University's Board of Trustees from 1996-2003. Married
1 Jan 1994 to Microsoft founder, chairman and CEO Bill Gates in Hawaii. He
was b. 28 Oct 1955 in Seattle, King Co., WA. Children: Co-Founder, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Melinda
French Gates was elected to the board September 9, 2004 Along
with her husband, Melinda Gates is co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, which seeks to improve people's lives by bringing advances in
health and learning to those who need them most. In
her role with the foundation, Melinda Gates works with local, national, and
international partners and foundation grantees to further the foundation's
goal of improving equity in four areas: global health, education, access to
digital information via public libraries and support for at-risk families in
Washington State and Oregon. Gates
received a bachelor's degree in computer science and economics from Duke
University in 1986 and a master's in business administration from Duke's
Fuqua School of Business in 1987. After
joining Microsoft Corporation in 1987, she distinguished herself in business
as a leader in the development of many of Microsoft's multimedia products. In
1996, Gates retired from her position as Microsoft's General Manager of
Information Products. Since then she has directed her energy toward the
non-profit world. In addition to her role with the foundation, she is a
former member of the board of trustees of Duke University and is a former
co-chair of the Washington State Governor's Commission on Early Learning. She
also serves on the board of directors of drugstore.com. Bill and
Melinda Gates live in Medina, Washington, near Seattle. They have three
children. References
1.
The Washington Post Company (2005). The Washington Post Company - History & Leadership
- Biography: Melinda French Gates. Retrieved March 6, 2006. 2. drugstore.com
(2005). drugstore.com - Officers & Directors. Retrieved March
6, 2006. 3. Bill and Melinda Gates named in Top 10 Persons of 2006,
Retrieved May 9, 2006 |
