Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Appoints Rob Nabors as Director of Policy and Government Affairs

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SEATTLE (January 7, 2016) – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that Rob Nabors has been named Director of Policy and Government Affairs covering the U.S., Canada and Asia Pacific. He will assume his new position on January 18, 2015.

Nabors joins the foundation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) where he was Chief of Staff. Prior to his role at the VA, Nabors served in the Obama Administration as the White House’s Director of Legislative Affairs and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. He spent several years in various positions at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), most recently as Deputy Director. He also served on the House Appropriations Committee, including as Majority Staff Director.

“Rob brings strong relationships across the political spectrum, a recognized ability to manage and lead high-performing teams, and  a deep understanding of the public policy process,” said Joe Cerrell, Managing Director, Global Policy and Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We are incredibly fortunate to have someone of Rob’s caliber joining the foundation.”

“By forging partnerships with the U.S., Canada, and other donor governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has helped to drive dramatic improvements in the lives of the world’s poorest over the past 15 years,” said Nabors. “I look forward to joining the foundation at such a critical juncture in 2016 – the year the world begins to deliver against the promises made under the new Sustainable Development Goals.”

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

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