Microsoft Alumni Foundation Announces 2012 Award Winners at Fourth Annual Celebration Event, Featuring Speakers Jennifer Garner and Mark Shriver

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Microsoft Alumni Foundation announced the winners of its prestigious Integral Fellows Awards for 2012, and hundreds of Microsoft alumni were treated to an inspiring discussion on "doing philanthropy," with award-winning actress and philanthropist Jennifer Garner and children's advocate Mark Shriver, at the foundation's fourth annual Celebration event Monday night on the Microsoft campus.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121002/SF85213A) 

Garner, former star of the hit TV show "Alias," serves as Artist Ambassador for international nonprofit Save the Children and Shriver, a former Maryland state legislator, is Senior Vice President of its U.S. programs, including those in Washington State. Microsoft alum Charlotte Guyman is a member of Save the Children's board of trustees and was a co-chair of the 2012 Celebration event, along with fellow Microsoft alum Robbie Bach. Brad Smith, Microsoft Corporation General Counsel, Executive Vice President, and Alumni Foundation trustee, led the discussion with Ms. Garner and Mr. Shriver.

"I enjoyed being part of the discussion with Mark on why we believe in giving back to the world," said Garner. "By seeing all the inspiring nonprofit work being done by Microsoft alumni, it's clear that everyone here shares the same belief."

The Integral Fellows Awards, also in their fourth year, honor Microsoft alumni who have made a meaningful difference in the daily lives of others through philanthropy and nonprofit work.

"There are countless numbers of Microsoft alumni who continue to apply their talents towards changing the world and changing lives in their post-Microsoft careers through nonprofit organizations," noted Jeff Raikes, chairman of the Microsoft Alumni Foundation's board of directors, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and a former Microsoft senior executive. "We are grateful to have this yearly opportunity to spotlight some of the best examples of Microsoft alumni's contributions to bettering the world as we know it."

The three winners each will receive $25,000 grants for their nonprofit organizations. They were chosen from among five finalists and 15 nominees considered for the awards.

The winners are: 

• Allen Wilcox, president of Village Reach, Seattle, Wash. (http://villagereach.org/)
• Jabe Blumenthal, co-chair of board of directors, Climate Solutions, Seattle, Wash. (http://climatesolutions.org/)
• Mahnaz Javid, co-founder and board president, Mona Foundation, Kirkland, Wash. (http://monafoundation.org)

Here is more information about each and the nonprofit organizations they lead:

• Allen Wilcox, president, VillageReach

More than 4 billion people have little or no access to healthcare, and most global health initiatives struggle to achieve sustainability and scale. Allen is credited with taking an organization with a strong vision and implementing a strategic plan elevating VillageReach into a model to emulate. He has concentrated on forging partnerships and relationships that strengthen the "last mile" of the health system. His programs include improving capacity and support for frontline health workers, improving efficiency of medical supply chains in rural areas, and building infrastructure services that support healthcare delivery.

• Jabe Blumenthal, co-chair, board of directors, Climate Solutions

Jabe's strategic leadership and practical approach to advocacy have transformed a regional organization into a national thought leader with vibrant partnerships and alliances in the business, farm, government, and civic sectors. Climate Solutions has had significant wins from defending the financing for clean energy in Oregon, to facilitating grants for clean energy projects in rural Idaho and Montana, to negotiating an agreement and legislation to phase out the last coal-burning power plant in Washington state.

• Mahnaz Javid, co-founder and board president, Mona Foundation

How do you grow an organization supporting just 300 children to one serving more than 40,000 women and children in 12 countries around the world? Mahnaz has done it by creating long-lasting partnerships to develop support programs in education from schools in Haiti, to business institutes for rural women in India and Mongolia, to the Sunflower Mission in Vietnam. The result of this "grass roots" approach has been dramatic. Three education programs have attained university status with centers in the Amazon, rural Cambodia, and Panama.

Judges for the competition included:

• Phyllis Campbell, chairman, Pacific Northwest, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
• Bill Drayton, chairman and chief executive officer, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
• Eric Liu, author, educator and civic entrepreneur, Guiding Lights Network
• Patty Stonesifer, vice chair and chair emeritus, Smithsonian Board of Regents
• Tom Tierney, co-founder and chairman, The Bridgespan Group

It was the first time the event has been held at Microsoft's headquarters.

"Our alumni members spent a great deal of their careers on this campus, changing lives and making a difference, and it was fitting that all award winners, nominees, alumni and friends in attendance had the chance to return to the place where many of them learned how they could begin to make a difference in people's lives," said Marylou Brannan, executive director of the Microsoft Alumni Foundation.

Generous support for the 2012 Microsoft Alumni Foundation Celebration comes from Microsoft Corp., IP Resources International, Inc., American CryoStem Corporation, Xtreme Electronics Systems, Inc., PRO Sports Club, and many others.

About the Microsoft Alumni Foundation

The Microsoft Alumni Foundation was established to catalyze the collective power of the Microsoft Alumni family and leverage our resources to make a difference for others. Launched in 2007, the Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public nonprofit organization with its worldwide headquarters based in Bellevue, Wash., USA. Board members include Jeff Raikes, Chuck Hirsch, Akhtar Badshah, Craig Bruya, Sharon Maghie, Tony Audino, Paul Shoemaker, Carla Lewis, Dawn Trudeau, and Brad Smith. The executive director is Microsoft alumna Marylou Brannan.

SOURCE Microsoft Alumni Foundation