Melinda Gates

Melinda French Gates (born Melinda Ann French on August 15, 1964) is a former unit manager for several Microsoft products: Publisher, Microsoft Bob, Encarta, and Expedia. In 1994, she married Bill Gates, founder, chairman, and former chief software architect of Microsoft. They have three children: Jennifer Katharine Gates (b. April 1996), Rory John Gates (b. 1999) and Phoebe Adele Gates (b. 2002).

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Melinda was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, where she was valedictorian of her class at Ursuline Academy of Dallas. She earned bachelor degrees in computer science and economics from Duke University in 1986 and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1987, and served as a member of Duke University's board of trustees from 1996 to 2003. Bill and Melinda met in 1987 at a Microsoft press event in Manhattan.^[1] She is an alumna of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

Today she also attends Bilderberg Group conferences and holds a seat on the board of directors of the Washington Post company.^[2] She retired from the board of Drugstore.com^[3] in August 2006 to spend more time working for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.^{[citation needed]} The Gates have donated more than USD$24 billion to the Foundation.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2005, she and her husband, along with musician Bono, were named by Time as Persons of the Year. The Gates received the "Spanish Medal of Freedom" prize — the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation — on May 4 2006, in recognition of their world impact through charity giving.^[4]

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