Kathleen Walsh

Kathleen Walsh leads the strategic planning, financial planning, and strategy measurement for the Washington State, and US Charters strategies in the United States Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With more than 15 years of experience working on health and development issues globally, Kathleen is happy to be working in her home state of Washington to help all kids get the access to education and opportunity that they deserve.

Before joining the US Program, Kathleen served as the Deputy Director for Strategy and Country Operations for our China Country Office in Beijing, China; as Deputy Director for strategies focused on strengthening vaccine and primary health care systems; and as the Interim Director and Chief of Staff for Chris Elias, President of the Global Development Program. Before joining the foundation, Kathleen spent 15 years in the software development industry, two of them living in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Kathleen holds a bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s in information science from the University of Washington. She, her husband, and their 15-year-old son enjoy traveling, spending time in the mountains, and are (mostly) retired from snowboarding in the places their travels take them. She is a member of the Northwest School Finance Committee.