Connie Ballmer
| Connie Ballmer | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | The Ballmer Group |
| Role: | Chair of philanthropy |
| Location: | Seattle, Wash. |
| Education: | University of Oregon |
As of 2019, Connie Ballmer was the chair of philanthropy at the Ballmer Group, a philanthropic organization she started with her husband, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. A longtime philanthropist interested in intergenerational poverty, Connie Ballmer helped found Partners for Our Children, a nonprofit that aimed to improve the lives of children growing up in Washington state's child welfare system.[1]
Career
Ballmer graduated from the University of Oregon in 1984 with a degree in journalism and initially worked in public relations and marketing for the technology sector.[2]
In 1990, she married Steve Ballmer, who eventually became CEO of Microsoft. Connie Ballmer led the couple's philanthropic giving throughout the time that Ballmer was at Microsoft and after he stepped down as CEO in 2014. In 2006, she and her husband donated $10 million to start Partners for Our Children, an organization that focuses on Washington youth in the state's child welfare system. According to Inside Philanthropy, the group aimed to influence the system "through a partnership between government, academics, and the private sector."[3]
In 2016, she announced that the Ballmer Group, the philanthropic organization she runs, was looking into making long-term investments aimed at eradicating "intergenerational poverty." At a meeting of Detroit expats, of which her husband is one, Ballmer spoke of their desire to invest in Detroit, saying:[4]
| “ | They were incredibly energized. ... These are people who have been in really stellar professions elsewhere, and they chose to come back here under this mayor because they knew that work was being done. They seemed innovative. You don't always find that in government entities — not because they're bad people; it's just that you don't always get a reformer mindset.[5] | ” |
Political activity
Ballot measure activity
Overview of ballot measure support and opposition
The following table details Connie Ballmer’s ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
| Ballot measure support and opposition for Connie Ballmer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot measure | Year | Position | Status |
| Washington State-Provided Campaign Financing Funded by a Non-Resident Sales Tax, Initiative 1464 | 2016 | Supported[6] |  Defeated
|
| Washington Universal Background Checks for Gun Purchases, Initiative 594 | 2014 | Supported[7] |  Approved
|
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Connie Ballmer'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Washington Universal Background Checks for Gun Purchases, Initiative 594 (2014)
- Mary Yu
- Charlie Wiggins
- Washington judicial elections, 2016
- Greg Zempel
Footnotes
- ↑ Partners for Our Children, "About," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ The Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon, "Connie Ballmer '84," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ Inside Philanthropy, "Steve Ballmer," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ Crain's Detroit Business, "Ballmer: Detroit likely target for philanthropy aimed at poverty," September 14, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission,"Integrity WA," accessed August 28, 2016
- ↑ Q13Fox, "Bill & Melinda Gates donate $1 million to support I-594 gun background check measure," August 26, 2014
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