Deon Woods Bell

Deon Woods Bell is a Senior Advisor, Global Policy and Advocacy at The Gates Foundation. She leads policy and multilateral engagement for the Digital Public Infrastructure and Inclusive Financial Systems teams, representing the foundation across major global institutions including the United Nations, World Bank, G20, and African Union. Earlier foundation accomplishments include spearheading efforts related to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol, South African G20 Digital and Financial Inclusion Working Groups as well as the UN Digital Public Infrastructure Safeguards Initiative. She serves on the foundation's AI Task Force, and her portfolio also includes cross-border policy harmonization related to digital transactions, women’s economic power, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

Deon previously served as attorney-advisor and senior international counsel at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, leading global consumer protection, privacy and data security technical cooperation and serving as an expert to the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). She also has held positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce, an international law firm, and Fortune 500 companies, with her pro bono work centered on human rights advocacy and environmental justice.

On behalf of the Gates Foundation, Deon serves on advisory bodies including the United Nations Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA), the World Bank’s Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), and the UK International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD). She also serves on the American Bar Association House of Delegates, Center for Innovation Governing Council/AI Task Force, and on advisory boards of the Partnership on Open AI, American University’s School of International Service, and the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
Deon earned her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where she served on the Law Review. She holds a Master’s in Economics from the University of Michigan and a triple-major B.A., cum laude (International Relations, Economics, and Latin American Studies), from American University. She was a Fulbright Scholar and completed advanced study in Political Economy and Government at Harvard University. She was proudly a U.S. election monitor during President Nelson Mandela’s historic election in South Africa.

Deon speaks Spanish, French, and Sign Language. She has lived, worked, and traveled extensively across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, reading, listening to podcasts, and enthusiastically supporting her three children’s soccer, basketball, and volleyball teams.