Melanie Lundquist

Melanie Lundquist is a philanthropist and vice chair of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, a nonprofit organization she co-founded to improve public education in underserved Los Angeles communities. Through her leadership, the Partnership has become one of the largest in-district public school transformation organizations in the United States, directly managing 20 non-charter LA Unified schools and serving more than 13,500 students. Lundquist guides the organization to implement scalable best practices in curriculum, teacher development, and student assessment, resulting in significant improvements in graduation rates and student achievement.

Lundquist's philanthropic work extends beyond education. As a signatory of the Giving Pledge, she and her husband Richard have contributed more than $400 million to causes including healthcare innovation and news literacy. Their $70 million unrestricted gift to Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute led to its renaming as the Lundquist Institute, supporting biomedical research and infrastructure. Lundquist also serves on the boards of the News Literacy Project and the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, and is a member of the University of Southern California President’s Leadership Council.

Lundquist is a public speaker and thought leader, having headlined events such as Bloomberg Live’s "Rebuilding Public Education" symposium and appeared on Bloomberg TV and radio to advocate for educational reform. Her achievements have earned her recognition including the Los Angeles Business Journal’s "Philanthropist of the Year" and inclusion on the Philanthropy 50 list. Through her activism, public speaking, and strategic philanthropy, Lundquist continues to drive change in education, healthcare, and news literacy.