Amsale Mengistu

Board member since: 2026
Board Position: At-Large Director

Amsale Mengistu brings more than 25 years of experience in global development, spanning strategy development, financial management, grant-making, and institutional strengthening. Born and raised in a small town in Ethiopia, she drew on firsthand experience of inequity to shape her commitment to expanding opportunities for communities. Her governance perspective combines an understanding of the country’s context with a focus on strategic alignment, resource stewardship, and institutional effectiveness to achieve lasting impact. At the Gates Foundation, her experience includes more than eight years as a Grants Manager overseeing a $500 million annual budget in the Global Growth & Opportunities Division and seven years leading country-level strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and execution. She currently advances food system transformation in Africa through country strategies, coordinated investment and execution, and stronger national implementation capacity. Previously, she worked at PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health). Amsale has also served on various nonprofit boards and in volunteer roles.

She holds an undergraduate degree in Literature from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and a master’s in business administration from St. Michael’s College in Vermont.