Arizona State University is honored to host Melinda Gates — philanthropist and former general manager at Microsoft — as the next speaker in its TomorrowTalks series. Gates will discuss her book, "The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World" in an online event on Thursday, March 18 at 6 p.m. Arizona / MST (6 p.m. PDT / 7 p.m. MDT / 8 p.m. CDT / 9 p.m. EDT). The conversation with Gates will be facilitated by ASU's Aviva Dove-Viebahn, assistant professor of film and media studies in the Department of English and a contributing editor at Ms. Magazine.
TomorrowTalks places thought leaders of today in conversation with the changemakers of tomorrow: our students. Each distinguished speaker will explain how they use writing to address our most pressing challenges. In addition to Gates, spring 2021 speakers include Michael Eric Dyson (Feb. 25) and Ayanna Thompson (April 15).
Melinda Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Along with Bill, she shapes and approves the foundation’s strategies, reviews results and sets the overall direction of the organization. Together, they meet with grantees and partners to further the foundation’s goal of improving equity in the United States and around the world.
In "The Moment of Lift," Gates shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world. As she notes in the introduction, "That is why I had to write this book ― to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life." Writing with emotion, candor and grace, she introduces us to remarkable women and shows the power of connecting with one another.