To my foundation colleagues and alumni

Before I wrap up my last day at the foundation, I wanted to reach out to thank each one of you for the role you played in my time here and for all the work we did together.

As you might imagine, I’m holding a complicated mix of emotions today. I’m sad to be saying goodbye, proud of all we accomplished, energized by what’s ahead, and excited to see what you do next. But the emotion I feel most strongly right now is gratitude.

Most people never in their lives get to work with a group of people like this one—as talented, as brilliant, as caring, as visionary, as thoughtful, as driven. So I recognize what a gift it is that, for the past twenty-five years, you’ve been such an enormous part of my life. I’m incredibly impressed by you and so glad to have had this chance to work with you.

As you know better than anyone, the work we do here every day isn’t always glamorous—there are lots of spreadsheets, lots of slide decks, lots of inconveniently timed meetings to accommodate a globe’s worth of time zones—but the impact you and our partners are having in the world could not be more important.

Today, right now, there are people whose lives look different because of work you contributed to. There are more fifth birthdays being celebrated by healthy kids. More women with their own bank accounts, controlling their own resources. More farmers coaxing lifechanging surpluses out of small family plots. More students stepping onto college campuses prepared to learn and lead.

Sometimes, depending on where we sit in the organization, that impact can feel far away from our day-to-day activities. But after twenty-five years of traveling on behalf of this foundation to see our partners in action, I can assure you that it is real—and it’s in no small part because of you.

As you’ve heard me say again and again over the past few weeks, there is no question that the foundation and its future are in good hands. The values that drive this institution—and all of the things that make it so special—are bigger than any one individual. Between Mark, the ELT, and a deeply experienced board of trustees, there are many trusted and proven leaders in place to carry the foundation’s work forward. If I didn’t believe that with all my heart, there’s no way I’d be walking out that door.

Although a chapter ends for me today, this isn’t goodbye. I’ll still be working on the things we all care about and still doing my part to fight for a healthier, more prosperous, more equal future for everyone.

Until we meet again, please know that I will remain deeply grateful for all of you, for all we’ve done together, and for all the ways I know you will continue to put our collective optimism into action.

-          Melinda