Jackie Jones

Melinda Gates has committed $1 billion to the cause of expanding women’s power and influence in the United States—but that promise is separate from the $5 billion the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation allocates every year across global health, development, and U.S. programming. For that bigger financial commitment, Jackie Jones ensures that women and girls remain a top priority for every cause the foundation backs. When the organization makes grants to scientists to develop seeds with greater nutritional value, Jones and her team help the grant managers ask the right questions such as: Will this require more effort to harvest? More trips to the water pump for the women responsible? Do the results taste good, and will it be more difficult for mothers to persuade their children to eat? Jones’s work as deputy director for strategy, planning, and management guarantees that women around the globe are not left behind.