Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Sylvia Mathews

Sylvia Mathews is currently Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquartered in Seattle, Washington. She oversees finance, administration, legal, government relations, public affairs, and three of the foundation’s areas of giving: Pacific Northwest, Special Projects and Libraries and Public Access to Information. In addition, Mathews serves on the executive team, helping to shape overall foundation strategy and evaluate the effectiveness of current programs. Mathews coordinates the foundation’s strategy of building partnerships with governments, industry, United Nations agencies, foundations and non-governmental organizations.

The Senate confirmed Sylvia Mathews as Deputy Director of OMB on October 21, 1998. As Deputy Director, Ms. Mathews worked with the Director and the White House on development of Administration policy, and was responsible for coordinating Administration efforts on budget and appropriations matters, as well as other legislative and management issues.

Prior to OMB, Ms. Mathews was appointed Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in January 1997. She supervised the work of several White House offices, including the National Economic Council, the Domestic Policy Council, Public Liaison, Staff Secretary, Intergovernmental Affairs, Council on Environmental Quality, Press, Cabinet Secretary, and Communications. Ms. Mathews had responsibility for several special projects ranging from Presidential State of the Union Addresses (1997 and 1998) to the President’s historic trip to Africa. Before her appointment as Deputy Chief of Staff, Ms. Mathews served as Chief of Staff to Secretary of the Treasury, Robert E. Rubin, from 1995-1997.

Ms. Mathews first joined the Clinton Administration in December 1992 as the manager of the President-elect’s Economic Transition Team. In January 1993, she became Staff Director for the National Economic Council and Special Assistant to Robert E. Rubin, then Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. Ms. Mathews was the Deputy Director of Economic Policy for the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign.

Before joining the federal government, Ms. Mathews worked in the private sector for McKinsey and Company management consulting firm.

Ms. Mathews graduated cum laude from Harvard University with an A.B. in Government in June 1987. She was a recipient of the Harvard College Aggassiz Scholarship and Institute of Balkan Studies Harvard Fellowship, and was a Harvard Club of New York Scholar. As a Rhodes Scholar, she received an honors degree (B.A.) in philosophy, politics, and economics in June 1990 from Oxford University in Oxford, England. Ms. Mathews is from Hinton, West Virginia.