Nelson Mandela was the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections. Before his presidency, Mandela was a prominent anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress, and was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage after he went underground and began the ANC's armed struggle. Through his 27 years in prison, much of it spent in a cell on Robben Island, Mandela became the most widely known figure in the struggle against apartheid. Among opponents of apartheid in South Africa and internationally, he became a cultural icon of freedom and equality. Following his release from prison in 1990, his switch to a policy of reconciliation and negotiation helped lead the transition to multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, he has been widely praised, even among white South Africans and former opponents. Mandela has received over a hundred awards over four decades, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Nelson Mandela retired from official life in 1999, but still serves as an inspiration to people in South Africa and throughout the world. Through organizations he created or helps lead, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, he is continuing to bridge divides in his country in ways that empower people.

Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and William H. Gates Sr. are Co-Chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works to reduce inequities and improve lives around the world. In developing countries, it focuses on improving health, reducing extreme poverty, and increasing access to technology in public libraries. In the United States, the foundation seeks to ensure that all people have access to a great education and to technology in public libraries. In its local region, around Seattle, Washington, it focuses on improving the lives of low-income families.

William "Bill" H. Gates III is Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Chairman of Microsoft Corporation. Bill Gates began his major philanthropic efforts in 1994, when he created the William H. Gates Foundation, which focused on global health. Three years later, he and Melinda created the Gates Library Foundation, which worked to bring public-access computers with Internet connections to public libraries in the United States. (Its name changed to the Gates Learning Foundation in 1999 to reflect its focus on ensuring that low-income and minority students are prepared for college and have the means to attend.) The two groups merged in 2000 to form the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Melinda French Gates is Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. After joining Microsoft Corporation in 1987, she distinguished herself in business as a leader in the development of many of Microsoft’s multimedia products. In 1996, Gates retired from her position as Microsoft’s General Manager of Information Products. Since then, she has directed her energy toward the nonprofit world. In addition to her role with the foundation, she is a former member of the board of trustees of Duke University and is a former co-chair of the Washington State Governor’s Commission on Early Learning.

William H. Gates Sr. is Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He guides the vision and strategic direction of the foundation and serves as an advocate for the foundation’s key issues. He first answered his son's request for help in using his resources to improve reproductive and child health in the developing world by directing the William H. Gates Foundation, which was established in 1994. It merged with the Gates Learning Foundation to create the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. An attorney by training, he was founding partner at Preston Gates & Ellis, and has served as president of both the Seattle/King County Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association. He has served as trustee, officer, and volunteer for more than two dozen Northwest organizations, including the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and King County United Way. In 1995, he founded the Technology Alliance, a cooperative regional effort to expand technology-based employment in Washington. Gates also has been a strong advocate for education for many years, chairing the Seattle Public School Levy Campaign in 1971 and serving as a member of the University of Washington's Board of Regents since 1997. He is a veteran of the US Army and served in World War II.