Sheryl Sandberg is an American technology executive, author, and philanthropist. She is the chief operating officer of Facebook and founder of Leanin.org. Sandberg is known for her work in advocating for women in the workplace and her best-selling book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Sandberg was born in 1969 in Washington, D.C. and grew up in North Miami Beach, Florida. She graduated from Harvard University in 1991 with a degree in economics and was awarded an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1995. Sandberg began her career in the private sector, working for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and then for Google as its Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations. In 2008, she joined Facebook as its Chief Operating Officer, becoming the first woman to serve on the company's board of directors. In 2013, Sandberg released her book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, which became a best-seller and sparked a global conversation about women in the workplace. She also founded Leanin.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women achieve their ambitions. Sandberg has been recognized for her work in the technology industry and for her advocacy for women. She has been named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World and one of Fortune magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.