Laurene Sperling

A plum colored horizontal wave effect in a rectangular shape.

Incoming Chair, Governance & Nominating Committee

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, early childhood, health care, and poverty alleviation. Her prior professional experience includes 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 the 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 Duke University Board of Trustees where she chairs the Institutional Advancement Committee, the Board of Dean’s Advisors for Harvard Business School, the Deans Advisory Board for Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, The Social Enterprise Board for Harvard Business School, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Women’s Cancers Visiting Committee, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Women’s Health Leadership Council, The Board of Combined Jewish Philanthropies where she co-chairs the Taskforce on Measurement, and the Board of Temple Shir Tikva where she is a co-chair of Development.

Ms. Sperling and husband Scott Sperling live in Wayland, Massachusetts. They have four children.

Insights