Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Announces Major Appointments to Leadership Team.Business Editors SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2001 The Bill & 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. Foundation today announced two new personnel appointments to its leadership team. Trevor Neilson, current director of public affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. , has been named to the newly created position of director of special projects, and Joe Cerrell has been appointed director of public affairs. "I am pleased to announce these two new leadership appointments. Trevor has already served the foundation with excellence for more than two years, and he will bring that same enthusiasm and commitment to the foundation's key issues in this new role. Joe has a long history with the foundation in his work as a consultant, and he brings extensive experience to the job. We are pleased to welcome him to our staff," said Sylvia Mathews, executive vice president. "These appointments greatly enhance our efforts to strengthen partnerships with foundation grantees, helping them build capacity to take leadership roles on their issues, including fighting the AIDS epidemic, increasing access to technology, and improving equity in education," said Mathews. In his new assignment, Neilson will report directly to Mathews and will be responsible for coordination of specific special projects. In addition to supporting several large foundation grantees, his work will focus on building strategic partnerships with the for-profit sector and key stakeholders Stakeholders All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government. on issues of importance to the foundation. As director of public affairs, Cerrell will manage the foundation's public affairs department, and he will be responsible for all media relations and public affairs activities. He also will report to Mathews. Prior to joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Neilson was director of public affairs for the Seattle Public School District. He also served in the Clinton Administration Noun 1. Clinton administration - the executive under President Clinton executive - persons who administer the law as a member of the White House Press Office and on the President's Advance Team. Cerrell comes to the foundation from the corporate communications Corporate communications is the process of facilitating information and knowledge exchanges with internal and key external groups and individuals that have a direct relationship with an enterprise. division at RealNetworks. Previously, he served as a public affairs consultant to the foundation as vice president at APCO APCO Association of Public Safety Communications Officials APCo Appalachian Power Company (Columbus, OH) APCO Air Pollution Control Officer APCO Alabama Power Company APCO Associated Public Safety Communications Officers, Inc. Worldwide, and from 1993 to 1996, he served at the White House as assistant press secretary to former Vice President Al Gore Noun 1. Al Gore - Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton (born in 1948) Albert Gore Jr., Gore . Neilson will begin work in his new position immediately and Cerrell will begin work at the foundation on May 28. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to improving people's lives by sharing advances in health and learning with the global community. Led by Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates, Sr., and Patty Stonesifer Patty Stonesifer is the Co-chair and President of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 1997, Bill and Melinda Gates asked Stonesifer to launch the Gates Library Foundation, [1] which later merged with the William H. Gates Foundation in 2000. , the Seattle-based foundation has an asset base of $21 billion. For complete information, visit www.gatesfoundation.org. |
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