Zoë Baird Budinger joined the Markle Foundation as its president in 1998, after a diverse career as a prominent lawyer and public policy expert. At the start of her tenure, as the Internet was poised to become mainstream, she and the Markle Board of Directors redirected Markle's mission to focus on the potential of Information Technology to address some of the nation's most challenging issues in the areas of economic security, national security and health care. Ms. Baird's experience in law, government, and business, along with a lifelong commitment to building a strong and fair nation for generations to come, has led Markle to drive transformative change in these areas and in Internet policy.