After DailyMail.com reported that Bill Gates was dating Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, he may be entering a family just as complicated as his own.
Now, DailyMail.com has learned that one of Paula’s children is the award-winning investigative journalist Kathryn Hurd and that her other daughter, Kelly, has married into a politically connected family with close ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Mark Hurd was forced out as CEO of tech giant Hewlett-Packard in 2010 after a two-year romance with business consultant Jodie Fisher was discovered. Reportedly, he paided more than $1 million in hush money to keep sexual harassment charges against Fisher quiet.
The beginning of Gates’ relationship with the widow occurs two years after his divorce from Melinda French Gates, which occurred in 2021 after 34 years together and 27 years of marriage. According to People Magazine, his current partner has not yet met any of Gates’ children.
The ex-wife and mother of the billionaire’s children previously discussed her ‘unbelievably traumatic’ divorce and claimed that she ‘simply couldn’t stay in that marriage any longer’ While, Paula and Mark Hurd were married for nearly 30 years until his death from cancer in 2019.
Kathryn Hurd, a journalist living in San Francisco, holds a Master of Arts in Investigative Reporting from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from Wake Forest University.
According to her website, she is now developing an investigative report for her alma mater’s Investigative Reporting Program on systemic difficulties inside child welfare organizations.
In 2021, the Gates Foundation granted about $800,000 to the journalism program at the University of California, Berkeley.
Kathryn was a member of the team that received the coveted Polk Award in 2022 for the PBS documentary American Insurrection about the alt-right and domestic terrorism.
The culmination of the seven-part series was the January 6 Capitol riot.
Her further writing has appeared in Buzzfeed, ProPublica, and the San Francisco Examiner. Kathryn states on her LinkedIn page that she interned at the New York Times and CNBC.
Kathryn states in an interview with Poynter for American Insurrection that she grew raised in the Bay Area and worked in public relations before entering journalism.
She characterized working on American Insurrection by stating, “I didn’t realize the emotional toll this work could take until I was in it.”
In 2018, Kelly Hurd wed Tommy Umberg, the son of former Army Colonel and Democratic California State Senator Tom Umberg and Brigadier General Robin Umberg.
Tom Umberg served as the head of the California reelection campaign during Bill Clinton’s 1996 reelection bid. From 1997 until 2000, he served as the deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
In 2000, Clinton named Brigadier General Robin Umberg to the US Military Academy’s Board of Visitors. She participated in the Desert Shield and Desert Storm missions.
Robin Umberg is regarded as a trailblazer for women in the military. In 2010, she retired from active duty.
In a 2020 interview, she stated, “Women would approach me at the end of my career and say, “You were the pioneer… You advanced in a man’s society.”
It made me feel queasy. I may have opened doors, but I lacked the bravery of the women who followed me. When I was being harassed, I lacked the courage to speak up. I feared that if I spoke up, I might not advance,’ she continued.
Kelly and her spouse reside with their two children in Northern California. According to her LinkedIn profile, she is a marketing manager for Visa and a Baylor University graduate.
Mark Hurd, the father of the children, was found in 2011 to have made “aggressive romantic advances” towards consultant Jodie Fisher over a number of years, which led to her charging him of sexual harassment.
Fisher’s attorney alleged that the CEO gave her contracts in exchange for sexual favors. Mark Hurd paid Fisher $1 million in hush money after the affair.
Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, criticized HP’s board for being “cowardly” and subsequently hired Mark Hurd for approximately $3 million.
Fisher, for her part, continued her efforts to become an actor, appearing in episodes of NCIS, Little Big League, and the reality show Age of Low, as well as a version of the film Easy Rider that was deemed’staggeringly terrible.’
A friend of Gates and Paula Hurd told DailyMail.com, ‘They’ve been together for over a year, and she’s always been regarded as a “mystery woman,” but it’s no secret that they’re in a relationship.’
Hurd, a former tech executive, is now an event planner, organizer, and philanthropist.
During a trip to Australia, Paula and Gate were spotted watching the Men’s Singles Final at the Australian Open together.
Additionally, the couple proceeded to Sydney, where the billionaire met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Paula and Gates took advantage of the chance to have a romantic stroll across the city, stopping to admire the panoramic views of the harbor and the renowned Opera House.
At the time, photographs showing the two delighting in the sights were published, but Paula was unidentified.
It is possible that the pair bonded over their passion of tennis.
Before their meeting at the Australian Open in January, they were last spotted in September at the O2 Arena in London, witnessing the 2022 Laver Cup.
The ardent sports enthusiasts were captured in October 2021 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, but they were seated several rows apart.
Paula, whose maiden name is Kalupa, was an executive at NCR in 1990 when she wed her late husband, who had spent 25 years climbing the ranks at the corporation.
The Hurds were longtime supporters to Baylor University, Mark’s alma mater, where they provided a lead donation to launch their $1.1 billion philanthropy drive in 2018.
This year, a $60 million welcome center bearing the couple’s name will open on campus thanks to their generous donation.
Paula joined her husband in making significant contributions to Baylor, such as funding the university’s national championship tennis program, despite getting a degree in marketing from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984.
And just this year, she continued their legacy by creating a new project at the BNP Paribas Open that awards $100,000 grants to young, aspiring tennis players.
Paula and Bill were photographed together at the Women’s Tennis Association semifinal match in Indian Wells barely four days after the announcement of the program on March 14.
A few days after their trip to Australia, Gates revealed in an interview that he is interested in dating again after his divorce.
During his visit to Kenya this week, he was asked by the BBC if he would like to find love again. He responded, “Sure, I’m not a robot.”
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