Philanthropist Melinda Gates grew up in Dallas and graduated as valedictorian from Ursuline Academy. Her new book, The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World, is a timely and necessary call to action.

In the book, Gates introduces us to her heroes in the movement toward equality, offers startling data, shares moving conversations she's had with women from all over the world - and shows how we can all get involved and make a difference. Gates and her husband were awarded the 2016 Presidential Medal of Free­dom for their philanthropic efforts, and they have received numerous international awards for outstanding service to peace and humani­tarian efforts.

Her goal as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wher­ever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: if you want to lift a society up, invest in women. Convinced that all women should be free to decide whether and when to have children, Gates took her first step onto the global stage to make a stand for family plan­ning. That step launched her into further efforts: to ensure women everywhere have access to every kind of job; to encourage men around the globe to share equally in the responsibility of household work; to advocate for paid family leave for everyone; and to eliminate gender bias.