Title
Director, Global Programs, Corporate Citizenship & Public Affairs
Company
Microsoft
Bio
Yvonne Thomas is a senior manager within the Corporate Citizenship and Public Affairs team at Microsoft. In this role, she leads Microsoft YouthSpark, a global program with presence in more than 100 countries that is focused on providing funding, tools and resources that help young people get into jobs, continue their education or training, or start their own business. Through YouthSpark, the company aims to help create opportunity for 300 million youth by 2015. Throughout her tenure at Microsoft, Yvonne has held a variety of roles, all focused on developing and implementing impact focused programs and partnerships for the company. Her work has included leading Microsoft Elevate America and the Microsoft Elevate America Veterans Initiative, a set of national programs and partnerships with nonprofit organizations, state governments and federal government agencies focused on providing the technology skills and other resources individuals needed to successfully prepare for job opportunities in today’s changing economy. Through her time at the Microsoft, she has also played instrumental roles in the company’s U.S. philanthropic investments and partnerships, in developing the company’s first global employee volunteer program and policies, as well as in developing the systems and tools that are used globally to facilitate the company’s philanthropic investments. Prior to joining Microsoft nearly 14 years ago, she worked in the nonprofit sector, with a focus on youth development.