Our History

1991: Entrepreneur and visionary William (Bill) Melton and peace activist Patricia Smith create the Melton Foundation.
The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Pinochet regime in Chile, and the economic and social transformations taking place in China and India in the 1990s, all influenced by young people, profoundly inspired Bill Melton and Patricia Smith.
Bill Melton, who founded VeriFone and other pioneering companies, was convinced that deliberately bringing together talented young people from fast-changing yet cultural disparate environments would create a network capable of positive global impact.

Thus was born the Melton Foundation.

From this early vision, the Foundation grew into a thriving network of more than 500 Melton Fellows who, through their lifetime Fellowship, form deep and lasting relationships across boundaries that once seemed impermeable.

Today, the Melton Foundation is the only global Fellowship program specifically designed to develop global citizens and integrate them into a lifelong global network.

Our Founders

William (Bill) Melton

William (Bill) Melton is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Global Internet Ventures, an Internet Holding Company. For more than 20 years, Mr. Melton has been an entrepreneur bringing technology to the financial industry.

Patricia Smith

Patricia Smith is actively involved in the global fora in the areas of conflict resolution. Patricia is a playwright with productions throughout the U.S. She is also a photographer who has taught at the Smithsonian Institution and an entrepreneur.