Sandra Silverman

The Board and staff of the Scherman Foundation are deeply saddened by the death of our former President on March 17, 2011. A proud daughter of Chicago, she embraced her adopted home of New York with characteristic passion and energy. Beginning in the Lindsay administration, she served the city in numerous capacities including: press secretary of the 1975 Charter Revision Commission, member of the 1992 Democratic Convention Host Committee; and member of the Taxi and Limousine Commission. In addition to a distinguished career in public relations she was the founding executive director of the Citizens Committee of New York City, the city’s leader in supporting block associations and neighborhood revitalization.

She joined the Scherman Foundation’s board in 1984 and its staff in 1993, serving as President until 2009. Her dedicated and dynamic leadership increased both the effectiveness of our giving and the visibility of the Foundation. She played a particularly significant role in the reproductive rights field, leading funders groups and inspiring frontline organizations. Meetings with grantees were defined by her generosity and warmth, as well as her genuine curiosity. She loved politics, she loved do-gooders, and she deeply loved her colleagues and her gang of friends, who will all desperately miss her warmth and intelligence. 

Mike Pratt 
President