Sheri Sandler founded the Reba Judith Sandler Foundation in 1997 to honor the memory of her mother. The foundation initially focused on small community based organizations providing services to women and girls in the areas of safety and economic independence. Over the last 30 years, the foundation has grown to include grantees engaged in a wide range of social justice issues and the arts. Sheri founded the American Friends of the JCC in Krakow and has served on numerous boards including The New York Women’s Foundation, The Sister Fund and Goddard Riverside Community Center. She is currently on the board of the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, Legal Information for Families Today, Amagansett Food Institute, Broadway Housing Communities and Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling.
Sheri has organized several collaborative efforts for seemingly disparate nonprofits to work together. She believes strongly that joint programs serve to deepen focus and broaden mission while increasing support. Most recently she planted the seed and supported Aperture Foundation’s “Prison Nation” publication and exhibition, bringing attention to the powerful role photography can play in creating awareness of the impact of incarceration on individuals, families and our nation. At Guild Hall, Sheri initiated and hosted a screening and discussion of The Hunting Ground, a film about sexual assault on college campuses with producer Amy Ziering. She also organized and supported an evening with Gloria Steinem, a roundtable discussion with three young women from East Hampton High School that focused on the many difficulties faced by young women in our community. The evening also included a performance by the Thunderbird Sisters who highlighted the richness of our community and shared history.
Sheri is an Alumna of the Business School at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and attended the MA Program in the History of Decorative Arts and Design at the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum where she worked on numerous exhibitions.