Susan Sherman builds communities and the nonprofit organizations that serve them. She started her career at the intersection of environmental and public health as a toxicologist for Superfund sites and later a fundraiser for the Southern Environmental Law Center. She helped launch and led the Shenandoah National Park Trust and the Marine Debris Foundation, mandated by the US Congress.
She has long been a weaver in her hometown of Charlottesville, VA. She managed volunteers for an AIDS nonprofit and later led the Charlottesville Free Clinic, which provides quality medical, dental, and mental health care to those lacking insurance and wealth. While serving as the Clinic’s CEO, she helped launch and scale a community health worker network for underserved neighbors.
Sherman has served on local boards and committees including the NAACP Health Committee, an informal community group supporting Afghan neighbors who fled the Taliban, and Community Table, a volunteer-driven effort to heal Charlotteville following the 2017 riots.
She earned a B.S. in environmental biology from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in environmental education from Northeastern Illinois University.