Melinda French Gates is stepping down from the famed Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world’s largest charitable institutions, the organization’s co-founder announced Monday.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair,” Gates, the ex-wife of billionaire Bill Gates, wrote in a statement posted on several online platforms, including her LinkedIn and Instagram pages. “This is not a decision I took lightly.”
She said her last day working with the Seattle-based global health and development charity will be June 7.
“I am immensely proud of the foundations Bill and I have built together and the extraordinary work they are doing to combat inequality in the world,” she wrote. “I care deeply about the foundation team, our partners around the world, and all those touched by its work.”
For more than 30 years, the Gates Foundation has made $77.6 billion in charitable contributions.
Bill Gates has said he expects greatness from his ex-wife as she moves on from her role.
“I’m sorry to see Melinda go, but I’m sure she will have a huge impact on her future philanthropic work,” the Microsoft co-founder wrote in a separate statement released Monday. committed to the work of the Foundation in all our strategies and realizing the opportunities we have to continue to improve the lives of millions of people around the world.
In a video posted to his LinkedIn page, Mark Suzman, the foundation’s CEO, said the foundation’s mission remains the same: “To create a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life.” »
“By defining our values and leading our work, Melinda has played a vital role in everything we have accomplished over the past 24 years,” he said in the video. “His vision and influence will leave a deep and lasting legacy on which we will build in the future…To the millions of people our work serves and the thousands of partners we work with, you can continue to rely on the foundation. “
In another email to employees shared on the same platform, Suzman wrote: “Melinda cares deeply about the foundation and is extremely proud of all of you and the work you do every day to help millions of people live a better life… And, After a difficult few years of seeing women’s rights slide backwards in the United States and around the world, she wants to use this next chapter to focus specifically on changing that trajectory. »
The announcement follows the divorce
This announcement comes three years after the philanthropic couple announced their separation in May 2021.
After 27 years of marriage, they finalized their divorce in August 2021. The former couple shares three children.
Their separation surprised most people around the world.
“I think we’re all surprised on some level; many of us look up to Bill and Melinda Gates, especially in the age of COVID,” said Leslie Barbara, a divorce and family law attorney at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron in New York, USA. TODAY when the power couple announced their divorce on X.
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The couple initially said they would continue to work together
The same year they divorced, Melinda Gates and Bill Gates said they would continue to work together at the foundation, established in 1994.
“No changes in their roles or in the organization are planned,” the foundation said in a statement at the time. “They will continue to work together to shape and approve the foundation’s strategies, advocate for the foundation’s issues, and set the overall direction of the organization.”
Gates to retain $12.5 billion for additional philanthropy for women and families
“This is a critical moment for women and girls in the United States and around the world, and for those fighting to protect and advance equality,” her statement continued.
Under a deal with her ex-husband, Gates said she would have an additional $12.5 billion to spend on her work for women and families.
“I will share more about what this will look like in the future,” she wrote.
Why did Bill and Melinda Gates divorce?
In a March 2022 interview with “CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King, Melinda Gates opened up about her split from her ex-husband.
Shortly after their divorce was announced, the Wall Street Journal reported that it had learned that Microsoft board members had decided it was not appropriate for Bill Gates to continue serving on its board. administration in 2020, while the board investigated his prior romantic relationship with a Microsoft employee.
At the time, according to the outlet, an anonymous spokeswoman for Gates acknowledged that he had an affair nearly two decades ago and that it ended “amicably.”
When King asked Gates about the alleged infidelity, she responded:
“Well, I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we got through some of that,” she said. “It wasn’t a specific moment or thing that happened. There just came a point where there was enough of it out there that I realized it just wasn’t healthy and I couldn’t trust what we had.”
Contributor: Mike Snider, Amy Haneline and Craig Harris
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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