Patty Stonesifer is a senior advisor to the foundation’s trustees, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. As CEO of the foundation from its inception in 1997 until August 2008, Stonesifer led the foundation's mission to promote equity for all people around the world, setting strategic priorities, monitoring results, and facilitating relationships with key partners.
In addition to her work with the foundation, Stonesifer serves as chair of the Board of Regents for the Smithsonian Institution. Stonesifer and her daughter Sandy, write a weekly column for the online magazine Slate. “My Goodness” answers questions submitted by readers who want advice on how to make the world better. Stonesifer is an active community volunteer, donating both time and resources to a number of regional nonprofit organizations. Stonesifer is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and she served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS. She serves on the board of Amazon.com.
Before coming to the foundation, Stonesifer had a successful two-decade career in technology. Before age 40, she became the highest-ranking female executive at Microsoft, where she worked for eight years. During her tenure with the company, she ran Microsoft Canada, revamped Microsoft's Product Support operations, oversaw the Consumer Products Group, and served as senior vice president of the Interactive Media Division.
