Governor Rick Perry and First Lady Anita Perry are the official hosts of the event, which has featured keynote speakers including Dr. Maya Angelou, poet, author, educator and historian; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, writer and family health advocate; Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HP; Maria Hinojosa, Emmy-nominated journalist and author; and Melinda French Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Building on Bill Gates Sr.'s strong personal support, in 2007 Tachi Yamada, then President of Global Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, took on a decisive leadership role and formally established the Foundation as the Summit's third co-presenting organization.