Sylvia Mathews Burwell is president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Development Program, overseeing the foundation's efforts to help the world's poorest people overcome hunger and poverty. Ms. Burwell leads the program's major areas of grantmaking – agricultural development; financial services for the poor; water, sanitation and hygiene; global libraries, and special initiatives. She also oversees the program's policy and advocacy. Ms. Burwell joined the foundation in 2001 as executive vice president and served as chief operating officer and executive director from 2002 to April 2006. Before joining the foundation, Ms. Burwell served in the Clinton administration as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, assistant to the president, deputy chief of staff to the president, and chief of staff to former treasury secretary Robert E. Rubin. Prior to her work for the federal government, Ms. Burwell worked for McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, where she focused on financial institutions. She serves on the board of directors for MetLife Inc. and is a member of the board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. Ms. Burwell is also a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, the Trilateral Commission, and the Nike Foundation advisory group. She is based in Seattle, WA.
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