Wendy Sherman

Wendy Ruth Sherman is a United States diplomat, government official, non-profit manager, and adviser to politicians and business. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Counselor of the United States Department of State and Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State and North Korea Policy Coordinator.

Education

Sherman attended Smith College from 1967 to 1969, and received her degree from Boston University in 1971. In 1976, she earned a Master's degree in Social Work, Phi Kappa Phi from the University of Maryland.

Career

Early in her career, Sherman worked in a variety of positions in both government and non-profit organizations: chief of staff for three years for then Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski, campaign manager for Mikulski's first successful Senate campaign, Special Secretary for Children and Youth in Maryland (a cabinet-level position), Director of Maryland's Office of Child Welfare, supervising protective services, foster care, adoptions, and group homes.

Sherman directed Campaign '88 for the Democratic National Committee, where she oversaw field and political operations, communications, Congressional relations, constituency operations, issue development and coordination with all federal, state and local campaigns during the 1988 general election.

From 1991 to 1993, Sherman specialized in strategic communications as a partner in the political and media consulting firm of' Doak, Shrum, Harris and Sherman. Prior to that, she directed EMILY's List, the largest financial and political resource for pro-choice Democratic women candidates. She is credited with the organization's strategic development that led to groundbreaking numbers of candidates in 1992.

From 1993 to 1996, Sherman served under United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, where she directed the legislative efforts of the State Department with the U.S. Congress. Among other issues, she led the successful efforts to obtain the funding for Russia and the newly-independent states after the break-up of the Soviet Union and support for the Dayton accords.

From April 1996 until July 1997, Sherman was President and CEO of the newly recreated Fannie Mae Foundation, which developed to promote home ownership. She was also a member of the operating committee of Fannie Mae. At the Foundation, she set in place the groundwork for the newly-recreated foundation. She then returned to the State Department as Madeline Albright's counselor, with the rank of Ambassador, appointed by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the United States Senate. She advised United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on major issues of foreign policy, provided guidance to the Department and undertook special assignments.

She has been a Vice Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, Albright's international strategic consulting firm, since the group's formation in 2009. She advised Hillary Clinton during the 2008 presidential campaign, and she has served with Thomas Donilon as an agency review lead for the State Department in the Obama presidential transition. She has been mentioned as a likely candidate for a senior State Department position under Secretary Clinton in the Obama administration.