Patty Stonesifer

Patty Stonesifer leads the foundation's mission to promote equity for all people around the world. For all three of the foundation's program groups, she sets strategic priorities, monitors results, and facilitates relationships with key partners.

In addition to her responsibilities with the foundation, Stonesifer is an active community volunteer, donating both time and resources to a number of regional nonprofit organizations. Stonesifer has served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS. She serves on the boards of the Smithsonian Institution, The Seattle Foundation, and Amazon.com.

Before helping Bill and Melinda Gates launch the Gates Learning Foundation in 1997, Stonesifer was a senior vice president at Microsoft.