History of Sheryl Sandberg in Timeline
Sheryl Sandberg is an American technology executive, philanthropist, and author notable for her role as the former COO of Meta Platforms (Facebook). She is also the founder of LeanIn.Org, an organization focused on empowering women. Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008 as COO and is credited with scaling Facebook's advertising business and driving its profitability. She also became the first woman to serve on Facebook's board. Before Facebook, Sandberg held executive positions at Google, including VP of Global Online Sales and Operations, and was involved with Google.org. Earlier in her career, she worked as a research assistant at the World Bank and as Chief of Staff to Lawrence Summers when he was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
August 28, 1969: Sheryl Sandberg Born
On August 28, 1969, Sheryl Kara Sandberg was born in the United States. She later became a technology executive, philanthropist, and writer.
1969: Born in Washington, D.C.
In 1969, Sheryl Sandberg was born in Washington, D.C., into a Jewish family, the eldest of three children.
1987: Enrolled at Harvard College
In 1987, Sheryl Sandberg enrolled at Harvard College.
1987: Graduated High School
In 1987, Sheryl Sandberg graduated from North Miami Beach High School, ranked ninth in her class.
1991: Graduated from Harvard College
In 1991, Sheryl Sandberg graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard College. She also won an award for being the top economics student and co-founded Women in Economics and Government.
1993: Enrolled at Harvard Business School
In 1993, Sheryl Sandberg enrolled at Harvard Business School.
1993: Married Brian Kraff
In 1993, Sheryl Sandberg married Brian Kraff, later divorcing a year later.
1995: Worked at McKinsey & Company
After graduating from business school in the spring of 1995, Sheryl Sandberg worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company for approximately one year (1995-1996).
1995: Earned MBA from Harvard Business School
In 1995, Sheryl Sandberg earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, graduating with the highest distinction and earning a fellowship in her first year.
1996: Worked as Chief of Staff for Lawrence Summers
From 1996 to 2001 Sheryl Sandberg worked as chief of staff for Lawrence Summers, who was then serving as the United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton.
2001: End of time as Chief of Staff for Lawrence Summers
From 1996 to 2001 Sheryl Sandberg worked as chief of staff for Lawrence Summers, who was then serving as the United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton, ending her time in 2001.
2004: Married Dave Goldberg
In 2004, Sheryl Sandberg married Dave Goldberg, then an executive with Yahoo! and later CEO of SurveyMonkey. The couple have a son and a daughter.
2007: Met Mark Zuckerberg
In late 2007, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive of Facebook, met Sheryl Sandberg at a Christmas party held by Dan Rosensweig.
2008: Made COO at Facebook
In 2008, Sheryl Sandberg became Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Facebook, becoming the company's second-highest-ranking official.
2008: Wrote Article for The Huffington Post
In 2008, Sheryl Sandberg wrote an article for The Huffington Post in support of her mentor, Larry Summers, who was under fire for his comments about women.
2009: Named to the Board of The Walt Disney Company
In 2009, Sheryl Sandberg was named to the board of The Walt Disney Company.
December 2010: Gave TED Speech
In December 2010, Sheryl Sandberg gave a TED speech titled "Why we have too few women leaders."
2010: Facebook Became Profitable
By 2010, under Sandberg's leadership, Facebook became profitable.
May 2011: Gave Commencement Address at Barnard College
In May 2011, Sheryl Sandberg gave the Commencement Address at the Barnard College graduation ceremony.
May 2012: Spoke at Harvard Business School
In May 2012, Sheryl Sandberg spoke as the keynote speaker at the Class Day ceremony at the Harvard Business School.
June 2012: Elected to Facebook's Board of Directors
In June 2012, Sheryl Sandberg was elected to Facebook's board of directors, making her the first woman to serve on the board.
2012: Oversaw Facebook's Business Operations
According to Facebook, as of 2012 Sheryl Sandberg oversaw the firm's business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy, and communications.
2012: Became Member of Facebook's Board of Directors
In 2012, Sheryl Sandberg became the eighth member (and the first woman) of Facebook's board of directors.
2012: Named in Time 100
In 2012, Sheryl Sandberg was named in the Time 100, an annual list of the most influential people in the world.
March 11, 2013: Released "Lean In"
On March 11, 2013, Sheryl Sandberg released her first book, "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead," co-authored by Nell Scovell and published by Knopf.
April 2013: Keynote Speaker at Colgate University
In April 2013, Sheryl Sandberg was the keynote speaker during the second annual Entrepreneur Weekend at Colgate University, in Hamilton, New York.
2013: Lean In Sales
As of the fall of 2013, "Lean In" had sold more than one million copies and was on top of the bestseller lists since its launch.
March 2014: Sponsored Ban Bossy Campaign
In March 2014, Sheryl Sandberg and Lean In sponsored the Ban Bossy campaign, a television and social media campaign designed to discourage the word bossy from general use due to its perceived harmful effect on young girls.
April 2014: Sold Over Half of Shares in Facebook
In April 2014, it was reported that Sheryl Sandberg had sold over half of her shares in Facebook since the company went public, leaving her with around 17.2 million shares, amounting to a stake of 0.5% in the company.
2014: Attempt to Prevent Publication of Story About Bobby Kotick
Sheryl Sandberg was allegedly part of a coordinated campaign to prevent the Daily Mail from publishing a story about a temporary restraining order towards Bobby Kotick by a former girlfriend in 2014.
May 1, 2015: Death of Dave Goldberg
On May 1, 2015, Dave Goldberg, Sheryl Sandberg's husband, died unexpectedly while vacationing in Mexico.
September 2015: Signed Open Letter for ONE Campaign
In September 2015, Sheryl Sandberg signed an open letter which the ONE Campaign had been collecting signatures for, addressed to Angela Merkel and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, urging them to focus on women as they serve as the head of the G7 in Germany and the AU in South Africa respectively.
November 2016: Renamed Lean In Foundation
In November 2016, Sheryl Sandberg renamed her Lean In Foundation to the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, after herself and her late husband, and transferred roughly $100,000,000 in Facebook stock to fund the foundation and other charitable endeavors.
2016: Began Dating Bobby Kotick
In 2016, Sheryl Sandberg began dating Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.
2016: Delivered Commencement Address at UC Berkeley
In 2016, Sheryl Sandberg delivered the Commencement Address at the University of California, Berkeley graduation ceremony, and spoke publicly about her husband's death for the first time.
2016: Support for Hillary Clinton
In 2016, Sheryl Sandberg supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.
2016: Russian Interference in US Elections
In 2016, The New York Times reported on Sheryl Sandberg's role in handling Facebook's public relations after revelations of Russian interference in the United States elections.
April 2017: Released Option B
In April 2017, Sheryl Sandberg released her second book, Option B, co-authored with Adam Grant, focusing on grief and resilience. 2.75 million copies have been sold since publication.
2017: Delivered Commencement Address to Virginia Tech
In 2017, Sheryl Sandberg delivered the Commencement Address to Virginia Tech's Class of 2017.
June 8, 2018: Gave Commencement Address at MIT
On June 8, 2018, Sheryl Sandberg gave the Commencement Address for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.
November 29, 2018: Reported Request for Research into George Soros
On November 29, 2018, The New York Times reported that Sheryl Sandberg had personally asked Facebook's communications staff to conduct research into George Soros's finances days after Soros publicly criticized tech companies, including Facebook, at the World Economic Forum.
2018: Report on Sandberg's Role in Handling Facebook's Public Relations
In 2018, The New York Times published a report detailing Sandberg's role in handling Facebook's public relations after revelations of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and its Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
2018: Shareholder Lawsuit
In January 2025, vice chancellor of the Delaware Chancery Court J. Travis Laster imposed sanctions on Sheryl Sandberg for deleting emails from her personal account related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal. These emails were relevant to the 2018 shareholder lawsuit, and deleting them violated a litigation hold.
2019: Ended Relationship with Bobby Kotick
Sheryl Sandberg ended her relationship with Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in 2019.
February 3, 2020: Engagement Announcement
On February 3, 2020, Sheryl Sandberg announced her engagement to Tom Bernthal on Facebook.
2020: Declined to Endorse Elizabeth Warren
Throughout the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Sandberg declined to endorse Elizabeth Warren, though she stated she would support a Democratic nominee over Donald Trump.
2021: Net Worth Reported
In 2021, Forbes Magazine reported Sheryl Sandberg's net worth to be US$1.7 billion, due to her stock holdings in Facebook and other companies.
April 21, 2022: Report on Sandberg's Involvement with Bobby Kotick
According to an April 21, 2022, report by The Wall Street Journal, Sheryl Sandberg was part of a coordinated campaign to prevent the Daily Mail from publishing a story about a temporary restraining order towards Bobby Kotick by a former girlfriend in 2014.
June 1, 2022: Announcement of Leaving Meta as COO
On June 1, 2022, Sheryl Sandberg announced she would be leaving Meta as COO in the fall of 2022 but would remain on the board of directors.
August 2022: Marriage to Tom Bernthal
In August 2022, Sheryl Sandberg married Kelton Global CEO Tom Bernthal, creating a blended family in Menlo Park, California.
August 2022: Stepped Down as COO of Meta
In August 2022, Sheryl Sandberg stepped down from her position as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Meta Platforms.
2022: Announcement of Stepping Down as Meta COO
In 2022, Sheryl Sandberg announced that she would be stepping down as Meta COO in the fall, but would remain on its board.
January 2024: Announcement of Stepping Down from Board
In January 2024, Sheryl Sandberg announced that she would be stepping down from the board in May and not running for re-election.
January 2024: Announcement of not standing for re-election
In January 2024, Sheryl Sandberg announced that she would not stand for re-election on the board in May 2024.
May 2024: Not Standing for Re-election
In May 2024, Sheryl Sandberg did not stand for re-election on the board.
2024: Endorsement of Kamala Harris
In 2024, Sheryl Sandberg endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
January 2025: Sanctions Imposed for Deleting Emails
In January 2025, vice chancellor of the Delaware Chancery Court J. Travis Laster imposed sanctions on Sheryl Sandberg for deleting emails from her personal account related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.
