Melinda Gates is an American philanthropist and entrepreneur with a net worth of $120 billion. That’s her combined net worth with her longtime spouse, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. Bill and Melinda Gates are two of the world’s most generous philanthropists. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was founded by them.
Early Life:
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Melinda Ann French was born on August 15, 1964, in Dallas, Texas. Elaine Amerland, a housewife, and Raymond Joseph French Jr., an aerospace engineer, had four children together.
Her father introduced Melinda to the Apple II, which piqued her interest in computer games and programming. She attended St. Monica Catholic School and Ursuline Academy of Dallas, where she graduated as valedictorian in 1982.
She received a B.S. in computer science and economics from Duke University in 1986, and an MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business the following year. While in college, she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta (Beta Rho Chapter) sorority.
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Career:
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Melinda Gates‘ first profession was teaching computer programming and maths to youngsters. She started working at Microsoft after graduation when she met Bill Gates.
In 1994, they married. Melinda worked as a marketing manager and was in charge of the creation of Cinemania, Encarta, Publisher, Money, Works, and Word, among other multimedia products.
Gates was also a co-founder of Expedia, which went on to become one of the most prominent travel booking websites. However, the software was a commercial failure under Microsoft.
In the early 1990s, Gates was named General Manager of Information Products, a post she maintained until 1996 when she left Microsoft to establish a family.
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From 1996 until 2003, Gates served on the Duke University Board of Trustees. She has been a member of The Washington Post’s Board of Directors since 2004.
Melinda was also a member of the drugstore.com Board of Directors. Melinda led The Campaign For Children in 2006, which sought to expand facilities, finance uncompensated care, and increase the research program at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Bill and Melinda Gates.
Bill Gates and Melinda Gates established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington, in 2000.
It is one of the world’s biggest private foundations, with $46.8 billion in assets. The foundation’s objectives include reducing severe poverty, improving education, and improving healthcare.
Bill and Melinda Gates have given the Foundation numerous billions of dollars. In 2018, it was announced that the couple had given the foundation $36 billion.
It is run by three trustees: Bill and Melinda Gates, as well as Warren Buffet. Since its inception, the foundation has sponsored a wide variety of social, health, and educational initiatives, including the Gates Cambridge Scholarships at Cambridge University.
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Recognition and Accolades:
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Melinda and Bill earned the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged jointly in 2002.
Melinda and her husband, together with Bono from U2, were chosen Time’s People of the Year in 2005.
On May 4, 2006, they were honoured with the Spanish Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in appreciation of their charitable contributions.
In November 2006, Melinda received the Order of the Aztec Eagle’s Insignia. Bill received the same order’s Placard for their charity activities in health and education across the globe, notably in Mexico.
In May 2006, the Melinda French Gates Ambulatory Care Building at Seattle Children’s Hospital was dedicated in recognition of Melinda’s efforts to better the lives of children both locally and worldwide.
Gates led a $300 million fundraising effort for the hospital to expand facilities and support under-compensated care, as well as increase the institution’s research department to uncover new treatments and cures.
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In 2007, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, awarded Gates an honorary doctorate in medicine.
She and her husband were awarded honorary degrees by the University of Cambridge in 2009. In 2013, Duke University honored Gates with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her humanitarian endeavors.
She’s been in the top ten of Forbes’ annual list of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women since 2011, rising to #3 in 2013.
Gates received the honorary title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2013. She received the UCSF Medal the same year. In 2015, Bill and Melinda got the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian accolade. For their humanitarian activities, President Barack Obama awarded Gates and her husband the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
They received France’s highest national accolade, the Legion of Honour, at a ceremony in Paris in 2017.
Gates has also received the Otto Hahn Peace Medal and has been made an honorary Dame. Gates was ranked No. 12 on Richtopia’s list of the 200 Most Influential Philanthropists and Social Entrepreneurs in the World in 2017.
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Personal Life:
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In 1994, Melinda and Bill married in a private ceremony on the island of Lanai, Hawaii. Jennifer, Phoebe, and Rory Gates are their three children.
Real Estate:
The Gates family lives in Medina, Washington, in an earth-sheltered home on the edge of a hill overlooking Lake Washington.
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Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and Cutler-Anderson Architects of Bainbridge Island, Washington, collaborated on the 66,000 square foot mansion, dubbed Xanadu 2.0. Property taxes on the residence were $1.063 million in 2009, based on a total assessed value of $147.5 million.
A private library with a dome-shaped ceiling and oculus, a 60-foot swimming pool with an underwater music system, a 2,500-square-foot gym, and heated floors and roads are among the amenities offered by the spacious paradise.