Sherrie Rollins Westin is the President, Global Impact and Philanthropy, Sesame Workshop.
Early life and education
She was born Sherrie Sandy to Charlotte Ann and William Gresham Sandy of Roanoke, Virginia. Her father was a vice president of a Caterpillar dealership. She has two siblings, William G. Sandy Jr. and Mark Steven Sandy. In 1980, she graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Virginia.
Career
After school, she worked at a public relations marketing firm in Georgetown; and then went to her firm's primary client, the Georgetown Business and Professional Association. She then worked for Ronald Reagan 1984 presidential campaign and then as head of communications for a Washington firm. In 1992, she was appointed as the first assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs then headed by New York Republican U.S. Representative Jack Kemp. Her high-profile position was noticed by the chairman of ABC News, Roone Arledge, who recruited her to become the head of communications of the division. She left ABC News to serve as Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs under President George H.W. Bush. After his term was over, she returned to ABC as executive vice president of network communications. Sherrie Westin is President of Global Impact and Philanthropy for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. She leads the Workshop's efforts to serve vulnerable children through mass media and targeted initiatives in the United States and around the world. Westin serves as Sesame Workshop's chief mission ambassador, raising awareness, developing strategic partnerships, and cultivating philanthropic support to further the Workshop's mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Westin spearheaded a partnership to create the largest early childhood intervention in the history of humanitarian response, bringing critical education and nurturing care to refugee children in the Syrian response region. Working with the International Rescue Committee, she led Sesame Workshop's efforts to compete for and win a historic $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation to fund this work. She also championed the development of Julia, the first autistic Sesame Street Muppet and oversaw the launch of Sesame Street in Communities, Sesame's comprehensive initiative designed to give children the tools they need to overcome traumatic experiences. Westin was named a “Leading Global Thinker” by Foreign Policy Magazine and one of Fast Company's “100 Most Creative People in Business” and was recognized with the Smithsonian's “American Ingenuity Award”. A staunch advocate for addressing children's needs, she regularly appears on major media outlets with Sesame Street's iconic Muppets promoting Sesame's social impact initiatives around the world. Westin has held leadership positions in media, nonprofit, and public service. She was Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs for President George H.W. Bush, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and held senior positions at the ABC Television Network and U.S. News & World Report. Westin serves on the board of directors of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and Communities in Schools. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. Afghan Women's Council, and the Early Childhood Peace Consortium Advisory Board. Westin is a graduate of the University of Virginia and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Concordia College in New York. She lives in Bronxville, New York with her husband David and her children, Lily and David.
Family
Westin has been married twice. In 1987, she married Ed Rollins. Westin lives in Bronxville, New York, with her second husband, David Westin; she has two children, Lily and David.
