Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Welcomes New Chief DEI Officer

SEATTLE (May 21, 2024) – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced it has appointed June Yoshinari Davis to serve as its chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer (CDEIO). The appointment comes as Leslie Mays, who currently serves as the foundation’s first CDEIO, retires later this month.

As CDEIO, Yoshinari Davis will lead the foundation's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy in support of its mission to create a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life. She is responsible for the Center of Excellence, which leads the integration and impact of the DEI strategy across all areas of the foundation and its offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. This includes the continued strengthening of organizational talent, partnerships, and grantmaking, ensuring the foundation fosters a strong, inclusive culture that embraces diverse perspectives to achieve its greatest global impact.

“The Gates Foundation is working toward a future that is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive for all. This commitment is at the heart of our DEI strategy, our relationships with our grantees and partners, and the communities we serve,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "June’s track record of leadership experience, characterized by innovation and inclusion, will be instrumental in furthering our DEI vision and makes her a strong partner in guiding the next chapter of our DEI commitments and achieving the greater future we aspire towards as an organization.”

Yoshinari Davis brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors to the role, including positions at Nike, Teach for America, and Target, where her inclusive leadership cultivated strong teams that delivered impressive results. She also brings direct experience leading the development of DEI strategies, HR programs, policies, and practices that supported workforce inclusion and diversity at Cargill. Yoshinari Davis most recently served as director of strategy, planning & management and chief of staff for the foundation's U.S. Program, a position she held from 2019 until her appointment as CDEIO, and as a member of the foundation’s DEI Leadership Council.

Yoshinari Davis assumes responsibilities from Mays, whose work at the organization is the culmination of a 40-year career pioneering future-focused HR and DEI strategies across multiple industries and sectors. Under Mays’ guidance, the foundation established its first public DEI Commitment and Strategic Framework in 2021 and began the broad implementation of equity and inclusion practices at one of the world’s largest philanthropic organizations.

"Leslie’s leadership through the first stages of our DEI work set us on a path to understanding the greater potential we have as a global foundation,” said Suzman. “We could not have done this significant work without her, and we are a better organization today because of her leadership.”