Laurene Sperling is president of the Sperling Family Charitable Foundation where she directs its strategic philanthropy in several program areas including education, child and youth development, very early childhood, health care, and poverty alleviation. Her prior professional experience centered on investment banking and venture capital at Paine Webber Inc. and Cowen and Co.; and accounting for Ernst and Young. She has more than thirty years of experience with capital aggregation for corporate and non-profit organizations seeking positive growth and impact.
Ms. Sperling graduated from Duke in 1978 with a degree in management science and accounting, and went on to Harvard Business School to receive her MBA in 1982.
She is chair of the BELL Foundation, a national leader in after-school and summer programs for children at risk. In addition, she serves on the Board of Dean’s Advisors for Harvard Business School, the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Board, the Deans Advisory Board for Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, the Board of Social Ventures US, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Women’s Cancer Visiting Committee, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Women’s Health Leadership Council, and the Board of Combined Jewish Philanthropies where she co-chairs the Taskforce on Measurement.
Ms. Sperling and husband Scott Sperling live in Wayland, Massachusetts. They have four children including Zachary Adam Sperling T`13 and Melanie Elizabeth Sperling T`14.
Elected to the Board of Trustees in 2010, Ms. Sperling serves as a member of the Executive Committee, is chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee, and serves on the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee as well as the Subcommittee on Trusteeship.
A member of the Duke University Library Advisory Board from 1997 until 2010, she served as Chair from 2006 through 2010. She is also an inaugural member of Duke’s Women’s Impact Network Leadership Council.