Early Life and Education
Sheryl Kara Sandberg was born on August 28, 1969, in Washington, D.C.. She moved with her family to North Miami Beach, Florida, at age two. She excelled academically and graduated from North Miami Beach High School in 1987, ranking ninth in her class. Sandberg then attended Harvard College, graduating summa cum laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School in 1995.
Career
After graduating, Sandberg worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company for about a year. From 1996 to 2001, she served as Chief of Staff to Lawrence Summers, who was then U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. In 2001, she joined Google, becoming Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations. Sandberg joined Facebook (now Meta) as COO in March 2008 and was instrumental in the company's growth and profitability. She stepped down from her role as COO in the fall of 2022.
Key Business Strategies
During her time at Meta, Sandberg focused on building the company's advertising business, which was a key factor in making the company profitable. She also played a role in Meta's expansion and diversification into new products and services, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and the development of the metaverse.
Philanthropy
Sandberg is the founder and chair of the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation. The foundation operates programs focused on assisting women in the workplace, helping people facing personal challenges, and providing scholarships. Sandberg has also donated significantly to various causes, including Planned Parenthood and the Anti-Defamation League. In 2016, she renamed her Lean In Foundation to the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation after the death of her husband, Dave Goldberg. In October 2024, Sandberg donated $5 million through her charitable foundation to Marshall University for its 'Marshall For All' program.