Join us next Tuesday, July 29, at noon U.S. Eastern time for a live online discussion with Patty Stonesifer, the first chief executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as she prepares to step down from that role.

Ms. Stonesifer will talk about what it’s been like to oversee an organization that has grown from a start-up group to the nation’s largest and most visible foundation in the span of just eight years, and she will answer questions about the Gates Foundation.

(Read an interview in The Chronicle in which Ms. Stonesifer talks about her work at the foundation and her plans for the future.)

The Chronicle’s online discussions are free and open to everyone. People who ask questions in advance have a better chance of getting answers.