Ms. Jill Nishi

Ms. Nishi currently serves as the CEO of Philanthropy Northwest. She previously served as the Director of Strategy, Planning & Management & Chief of Staff in the U.S. Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle. She has served in a number of leadership capacities at the Gates Foundation, including overseeing the strategy, management and research & evaluation functions for the foundation’s Postsecondary Success strategy, whose aim is to increase the number of low-income young adults who complete a post-secondary credential. She also led the foundation’s U.S. Libraries Program, an initiative dedicated to bringing technology access to disadvantaged communities through the nation’s public libraries. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, she served in several leadership positions in the public sector. She was appointed by Mayor Greg Nickels as director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development; and previously served as deputy director of the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development. An active member of the Seattle community, she co-founded the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation. She is Trustee Emeritus of the University of Puget Sound and on the Board of the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. Ms. Nishi holds a B.A. from the University of Puget Sound and an M.A. in public affairs from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.