Priscilla Chan (philanthropist)

Priscilla Chan

Priscilla Chan in 2014
Born (1985-02-24) February 24, 1985[1]
Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Citizenship U.S.
Alma mater Harvard University
University of California, San Francisco
Occupation Pediatrician
Spouse(s) Mark Zuckerberg (m. 2012)
Children 1

Priscilla Chan (born February 24, 1985) is an American philanthropist and pediatrician. Her husband is Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of Facebook. As of 2015, she and her husband pledged more than $1.6 billion to charities. In December 2015, they pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares, valued at $45 billion, to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic and political action company that focuses on health and education.

Biography

Chan was born in Braintree, Massachusetts,[2] and grew up in Quincy, outside Boston. Her parents were ethnic Chinese refugees[3] who fled Vietnam in refugee boats. She grew up speaking Cantonese and served as interpreter for her grandparents. She has two younger sisters.[4] In 2003, she graduated as class valedictorian from Quincy High School, and was voted "class genius" by her classmates.[4] According to one Facebook post by Zuckerberg, Chan is a Buddhist.[5]

Chan then entered Harvard University, where she met and began dating Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, in 2003. She graduated in 2007 with a BA in biology, and also studied Spanish. She is fluent in three languages. Chan can speak Chinese, English and Spanish. She is the first college graduate in her family.[4] After graduation she taught science at the private Harker School for a year, before entering the medical school of the University of California, San Francisco in 2008. She graduated in 2012, and finished her pediatric residency in the summer of 2015.[4] She married Zuckerberg on May 19, 2012, a day after Facebook's stock market launch.[4]

Chan and Zuckerberg announced the birth of their daughter, Maxima Chan Zuckerberg ("Max", Chinese: 陈明宇; pinyin: Chén Míngyǔ; Jyutping: Can4 Ming4 Jyu5[6]), on December 1, 2015.[7][8][9]

Philanthropy

Zuckerberg and Chan have pledged about $1.6 billion to charities,[10] including a donation of $75 million to San Francisco General Hospital, where Chan worked.[4] In 2013, they gave 18 million Facebook shares (valued at more than $970 million) to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The Chronicle of Philanthropy placed the couple at the top of its list of 50 most generous American philanthropists for that year.[11] They also pledged $120 million to public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.[3]

On December 1, 2015, in an open letter to their newborn daughter, Chan and Zuckerberg pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares, then valued at $45 billion, to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, their new charitable foundation with focuses on health and education.[3][10]

Chan's charitable goals focus on education, healthcare and science, which are closely tied to her personal background.[4] She is considered to have had a strong influence on the philanthropy of her husband.[3] She plans to launch The Primary School in 2016, a nonprofit organization that will provide K–12 education as well as prenatal care, in East Palo Alto, California.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Facebook's Royal Wedding". New York Times. May 25, 2012.
  2. ↑ Shanahan, Mark (July 30, 2010). "Mark Zuckerberg's lady friend is local". The Boston Globe.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Christina Cauterucci (December 1, 2015). "Priscilla Chan's Formidable Influence on Mark Zuckerberg's Philanthropy". Slate.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hope King (December 1, 2015). "Who is Priscilla Chan?". CNN.
  5. ↑ Sam Littlefair (2015-10-27). "Mark Zuckerberg says "Buddhism is an amazing religion"". Lion's Roar.
  6. ↑ Kell, John (8 February 2016). "Mark Zuckerberg Reveals Daughter's Chinese Name ( Chan after her Mothers Name Mingyu represents their hope for a brighter tomorrow for the world". Fortune.com. Retrieved 29 February 2016. In a pretty adorable video shared by the tech executive over the weekend, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan said their daughter Max’s Chinese name is Chan Mingyu.,
  7. ↑ Lamagna, Maria (3 December 2015). "How Kim Kardashian and Priscilla Chan differ when it comes to 'push presents'". Market Watch. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Chandler, Adam (1 December 2015). "A $45 Billion Birth Announcement". The Atlantic. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan to give away 99 percent of their Facebook stock, worth $45 billion". December 4, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Mark Zuckerberg Vows to Donate 99% of His Facebook Shares for Charity". The New York Times. December 1, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg biggest giver in 2013". USA Today. February 10, 2014.
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