The Integral Fellows Award was initiated in 2009 to recognize and support Microsoft alumni that are making meaningful differences in the daily lives of others by using their talents, time, and resources. On a local, regional, national or global scale, these extraordinary alumni have achieved a body of work with nonprofit organizations over an extended period of time and have demonstrated measurable results. Their efforts may not be glamorous, but they have created positive impact and they inspire our community to make a difference in the lives of others.
Our Fellows exemplify the following values
Innovation
We believe that through our brightest ideas
and most creative thinking we can look at the problems we face in a new
way, in a new light, and find inspired solutions.
Collaboration
We know that by working together we can accomplish so much more than we could on our own.
Effectiveness
We know that real results are those which are measurable and make a lasting impact.
Entrepreneurship
We believe in taking the best of what we
learned at Microsoft and using it to address our planet’s problems.
We’re passionate about changing the world. We work hard, take risks, and
are inspired by the amazing difference our alumni are making every day.
Integrity
We value honesty, fair play, professionalism, and transparency.
Process
We are extremely proud of the 18 Integral Fellows we have recognized over the past nine years. We look forward to adding another extraordinary alum to this list each year.
Nominations Closed
This year’s Integral Fellow will be selected from the nominees through a confidential process executed by our Integral Fellows committee. Selection will be based on criteria, not number of nominations. The nomination forms and nominator’s name will remain confidential. All assertions made in nomination forms will be vetted.
The 2018 Integral Fellow was celebrated at an annual event on Thursday, October 18, 2018. The award recipient received a cash grant of $25,000 for the nonprofit of her choice, and a year of community support and visibility.
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
2018 Fellow
Andrea Taylor spends her time commemorating the history she witnessed as a youth.
She was 16 years old when she took part in the March on Washington and witnessed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Today, after a long career that included more than eight years as Microsoft’s director of citizenship and public affairs for North America, she is CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and using the past to educate a new generation about nonviolent social change.
Andrea and the institute are stewards of Birmingham, Alabama’s pivotal role in the civil rights movement. She calls the institute “a museum of the future about the past” with a responsibility to make sure today’s young people feel empowered to get involved and make a change in the world just as the young people who marched with Dr. King did 55 years ago.
“Clearly there are still issues of injustice that we have to grapple with,” she said, noting issues surrounding race, income inequity and social injustice. “A museum about the past has to lift up the lessons and make sure we’re using our assets to contribute to the common good.” Watch a video and learn more about Andrea’s work with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
FIRST Washington
2017 Fellow
Kevin Ross has leveraged his own passion for technology to help re-ignite the passion in youth for engineering and technology. As founding chairman of the organization now known as FIRST Washington, Kevin began working with students of all ages in the late 1990s to excite and engage them through STEM learning and robotics competitions.
The Microsoft alumnus is driving FIRST — For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology — at the national, regional and local levels. He personally mentors three robotics teams, is co-chairman of the US FIRST board and was instrumental in building FIRST Washington into one of the largest statewide networks of robotics competitions, helping students experience first-hand what’s possible with technology. Watch a video and learn more about Kevin’s work with FIRST Washington.
Global Partnerships
2016 Fellow
Peter Bladin, the Chief Impact and Research officer of Global Partnerships, was chosen as the 2016 Integral Fellow. He joins an incredible group of change makers and philanthropists. Watch a video and learn more about Peter’s work with Global Partnerships.
In the 8th year of the Integral Fellows program, we added our 16th Fellow to the group. It is not an easy task to select one individual from an incredible list of nominees. The Integral Fellows committee focused on identifying one individual with a body of work and sustained results over an extended period of time. Peter shows a real commitment to being in there for the long haul and really demonstrated the core values of the program: Innovation, Collaboration, Effectiveness, Entrepreneurship and Integrity.
Social Venture Partners
2015 Fellow
As our 15th Integral Fellow, Paul joined a group of incredible change makers. Watch a video and learn more about Paul's work with Social Venture Partners.
In the 7th year of the Integral Fellows program, we made the decision to dedicate our resources and our focus on recognizing one Fellow each year going forward. The Integral Fellow was selected through a confidential process driven by committee chair Fidelma McGinn.
2014 Fellows
In 2014, we announced reinvestment grants to three of our past Integral Fellows. Our Integral Fellows Committee received a proposal from each of 14 Fellows indicating how an investment could help their work move forward. Then the committee took on the difficult task of selecting three projects to fund out of this group with each one receiving a $25,000 grant. Reinvestment grants were given to: Trish Millines Dziko, Technology Access Foundation; Richard Gold, Pongo Teen Writing; and Cliff Schmidt, Literacy Bridge.
Technology Access Foundation
2013 Fellows
In the 5th year of the Integral Fellows program, our committee and panel of prestigious judges selected two Fellows from 21 outstanding nominees. The judges for the 2013 program included: Phyllis Campbell, Chairwoman, Pacific Northwest, JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Bill Drayton, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public; Dr. Chris Elias, President, Global Development Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Constance Rice, Managing Director, Knowledge Management, Casey Family Programs; Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, and Senior Advisor to the CEO, Save the Children; Thomas J. Tierney, Chairman and Co-founder, The Bridgespan Group.
2012 Fellows
In 2012, award-winning actress and philanthropist Jennifer Garner and children’s advocate Mark Shriver joined us for a discussion about "doing philanthropy" as we gathered for the first time back on the Microsoft campus. Judges for the year included: Phyllis Campbell, chairwoman, 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; and Tom Tierney, co-founder and chairman, The Bridgespan Group.
