Melinda Gates Facts & Worksheets

Melinda Gates is an American philanthropist, businesswoman, women’s equality advocate, and the former wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. She co-founded the private foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with her business magnate ex-husband. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, of which she is co-chair, has been named the world’s largest private charitable organization since 2015. She has been consistently dubbed as one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes.

See the fact file below for more information on Melinda Gates, or you can download our 25-page Melinda Gates worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY

• Melinda French Gates was born Melinda Ann French on August 15, 1964, in Dallas, Texas.
• She was born to Raymond Joseph French Jr., an aerospace engineer, and Elaine Agnes Amerland, a stay-at-home mother. 
• She has an older sister and two younger brothers.

EDUCATION

• Melinda’s mother, who did not pursue a college education, put a premium on her children’s studies.
• Melinda became the top student in her class at the St. Monica Catholic School.
• Math was her favorite subject in school. 
• She went on to study at the Ursuline Academy of Dallas, an all-girls Catholic school.
• After her seventh-grade teacher placed her in an advanced math class, Melinda developed an interest in computers.
• When Melinda was 14 years old, her father bought an Apple II computer.
• As soon as she was introduced to the Apple II, Melinda enjoyed playing computer games and learning the BASIC programming language.
• Her school teacher Mrs. Bauer was a huge advocate of teaching computer science, which became Melinda’s subject of interest.
• Melinda graduated as valedictorian from the Ursuline Academy of Dallas in 1982.
• She carried her interest in computer programming to college.
• She went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Duke University in 1986. 
• In 1987, she earned a master’s in business administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
• At Duke University, she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

CAREER IN MICROSOFT

• Melinda’s first-ever job was as a mathematics and computer programming tutor to children.
• After her graduation from Duke, Melinda was reportedly offered a job at IBM. 
• She chose to work for Microsoft Corporation instead, first as a product manager whose focus is the development of multimedia and interactive products. 
• Melinda was the only female employee and the youngest recruit when she joined Microsoft.
• She then served as the General Manager of Information Products at the company beginning in the early 1990s until 1996.
• The information products she worked on included  Cinemania, an interactive movie guide; Encarta, a digital multimedia encyclopedia; Microsoft Bob, a desktop interface alternative; Microsoft Publisher, a desktop publishing application; Microsoft Money, a personal finance management software program; Microsoft Works, a productivity software suite; and Microsoft Word, a word processing software.
• She also worked on the development of Expedia, a travel booking website.
• In 1996, after giving birth to her first child with husband Bill Gates, she left Microsoft to reportedly concentrate on starting a family and establishing their philanthropy.

MORE CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Melinda served as a member of the boards of several organizations: Duke University’s board of trustees from 1996 to 2003; Graham Holdings’ board of directors beginning 2004; Drugstore.com’s board of directors until 2006; 
• She attends the annual Bilderberg Group conference which aims to foster dialogue between Europe and North America.
• In 2015, she founded Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation firm committed to helping further social progress in the United States “through high-impact investments, advocacy, and partnerships” according to its official website.
• In 2019, she released her first book entitled “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World,” which tackles the significant link between women empowerment and humanity at large.

BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION

• In 1994, Melinda and Bill founded the William H. Gates Foundation.
• In 1997, they co-created the Gates Library Foundation which aimed to provide computers and digital information to public libraries in the United States.
• The Gates Library Foundation was later renamed the Gates Learning Foundation.
• By 2000, the two charitable organizations, William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation merged to become what is now known as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
• Melinda developed the foundation’s vision from its original mission of supplying computers in libraries across the country to include educational advancements worldwide.
• Over the years, BMGF went on to incorporate objectives that seek to address global poverty and health problems.
• In 2006, American business magnate and investor Warren Buffett pledged a monumental donation to the foundation, amounting to $30 billion.
• Ultimately, with Melinda’s restructuring, the foundation’s assets were divided into three departments namely worldwide health, global development, and U.S. community and education. 
• The organization’s website states, “we are a nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world.”
• BMGF’s philanthropic efforts in global health included the development of vaccines and treatments for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and most recently, COVID-19, as well as improving access to contraception for women in third-world countries.
• As for education, BMGF provides financial support for students through the Gates Millennium Scholars program.
• BMGF is also one of the founders and financiers of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, an African-led organization that aimed to address food security and reduce poverty in Africa.
• In 2015, Melinda and Bill announced that BMGF employees would receive up to a year’s paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child.
• On November 22, 2016, President Barack Obama recognized Bill and Melinda Gates’ philanthropic work by awarding them the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

PERSONAL LIFE

• Melinda first met Bill in 1987 when after she started working for Microsoft.
• They dated for six years before Bill asked for Melinda’s hand in marriage. 
• They tied the knot on the Hawaiian island of Lanai on January 1, 1994.
• After she gave birth to their eldest daughter, Jennifer Katharine in 1996, Melinda chose to leave her job at Microsoft.
• In 1999, Melinda gave birth to their second child, Rory John.
• In 2002, their youngest daughter Phoebe Adele was born.
• In May 2021, the couple announced in a joint statement that they had decided to separate after 27 years of marriage.
• Melinda and Bill’s divorce was finalized on August 2, 2021.

Melinda Gates Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Melinda Gates across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Melinda Gates, an American philanthropist, businesswoman, women’s equality advocate, and the former wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Melinda Gates Facts
2. Quick Questions
3. Memories of Melinda
4. Vocabulary Check
5. Microsoft Facts
6. Life History
7. Popular Philanthropists
8. Female Pioneers
9. My Product Idea
10. Quote Reflection
11. Philanthropy Inspo

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Melinda Gates known for?

Melinda Gates is one of the most influential women in philanthropy as co-chair of the world’s largest private charitable foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Not only is she a tech-savvy businesswoman, but she also actively promotes women’s equality.

What was Melinda Gates’ first job?

In 1987, Melinda took a job at Microsoft Corporation as a product manager where she was responsible for multimedia and interactive products. Over the next years, she was promoted to general manager of information products.

What inspired Melinda Gates?

Melinda, the daughter of a rocket scientist, had watched an endless number of rockets launched on television. Melinda reportedly loved watching the “moment of lift” before the spaceship took off. This, along with her parents’ Apple computer, sparked Melinda’s interest in technology.

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