Dr. Nicole Bates is an executive leader and impact-driven strategist with 20 years of experience designing original portfolios; building cross-sectoral partnerships; and activating public and political networks to generate support, policies, and financing for health and development priorities – in the US and abroad. She currently serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives at Pivotal Ventures, an incubation and investment company founded by Melinda French Gates where she leads the company’s efforts to build a well-resourced and active ecosystem of individuals and organizations working together to advance social progress. Nicole joined Pivotal Ventures after more than a decade at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she led the foundation’s global advocacy and communications strategy for child health, including immunization and polio eradication. Nicole has served as senior advisor in the Office of the Executive Director at UNICEF as well as the Director for Government Relations at the Global Health Council and Deputy Director for Public Policy at the Center for Community Change. Nicole began her career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Presidential Management Fellow and worked for Senator Edward Kennedy on domestic policy.Nicole earned her doctorate and master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed undergraduate studies with high honors at the University of Virginia.