Sofia Michelakis
Managing Director
As Managing Director, Sofia focuses on developing, delivering, and innovating on the firm’s offerings to help individuals and families align their resources with their values and impact goals. She is an avid writer who creates thought-provoking pieces about current trends in giving, best practices, and novel donor collaborations. She also develops strategies for sector partnerships to advance Phīla’s mission. Sofia leads client engagements and especially enjoys working with people who are at a significant inflection point in their philanthropic journey.
Sofia is a connector, guide, and leader who brings considerable experience in philanthropy and social impact to help people turn their vision for social change into action. She has partnered with influential global visionaries on giving strategy and family engagement, developed engaging curricula and winning models for social impact, and frequently acts as moderator for in person and virtual executive convenings.
For nearly 10 years, Sofia served as a Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Sofia was the principal point of contact for the Giving Pledge, which is made up of more than 240 of the world’s wealthiest individuals and couples. She led a team of six that helped Giving signatories navigate the global giving landscape and advance to new levels of generosity and impact.
Prior to working at Gates, she served as Philanthropy Director at Social Venture Partners Seattle, a network of over 200 engaged philanthropists, and led donor education and community partnership programs. Previously, she held roles in community development and microenterprise in Seattle and South America, and taught clinical courses at Seattle University Law School. Before moving into the social sector, Sofia practiced corporate law. She has a JD from the University of Michigan, cum laude, and a BA from Stanford.
For the last three years, Sofia has tapped into energy and inspiration through weekly cold water plunging in the Puget Sound. She lives in Seattle with her husband and 12-year old, plus a tabby cat who grudgingly tolerates their demanding Corgi.