News
Connie R. Collingsworth joins WRF board of directors
Former COO and CLO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide strategic and operational leadership as member of foundation’s board and finance committee
Seattle, WA – September 5, 2024
Connie R. Collingsworth has joined the Washington Research Foundation (WRF) board of directors. She will provide additional guidance as a member of the foundation’s finance committee, which oversees its fiscal strategy, budgets and accounting.
Collingsworth has deep experience in governance and investing, serving as an independent director of the National Philanthropic Trust—one of the largest grantmaking organizations in the United States—and on the boards of Banner Corporation and Axxes Capital. She is a board advisor to private equity fund Planet First Partners, a business advisory board member of publicly traded biotechnology company Ocugen, and a strategic advisor to healthcare venture fund Loud Capital.
As an adjunct professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, Collingsworth teaches the MBA course CEO and Board Leadership: Insiders’ View of Corporate Governance to current and future business leaders.
Collingsworth’s former roles include chief operating officer and chief legal officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, serving the world’s largest private family foundation for more than 20 years. She was previously a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates), where her specialties included private equity investments.
Collingsworth holds an LL.M. in international business studies from the University of Exeter in England, a J.D. from the University of Nebraska, and a B.A. in English from Andrews University.
“I am excited to apply my expertise in both private equity and philanthropy to contribute to the mission of WRF to advance innovative life sciences research and further strengthen the biotech ecosystem in Washington state,” said Collingsworth.
“Connie will be a tremendous asset to our team, bringing valuable insights from her extensive experience as an executive and dedicated board member,” Brooks Simpson, WRF board chair, said. “We are delighted to welcome her to our board of directors and finance committee.”
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Connie R. Collingsworth