Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Sesame Workshop, Sherrie Rollins Westin, has been named Commencement Speaker and will receive an honorary doctorate at Concordia College’s 133rd Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 10.
Westin is an experienced communications and marketing leader, with a history of public policy and communications positions in both the public and private sectors. At Sesame Workshop, Ms. Westin is responsible for the strategic positioning of the Workshop and Sesame Street worldwide, and has been central to driving support for its mission-driven work.
“It’s an honor to have Sherrie as our Commencement Speaker,” said Concordia President, Dr. Viji George, “Her dedication to expanding the intellectual and emotional horizons of our children fits our mission and we look forward to her insights for our graduates and the Concordia community."
Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, Ms. Westin held a variety of positions at ABC, ABC News, and U.S. News and World Report. She also served as Assistant to the President in the first Bush White House and Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Ms. Westin currently serves on the board of directors of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Communities in Schools, and Mount Holyoke College, and is a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.
Westin is a recipient of the 2009 Matrix Award for Marketing and Communications from New York Women in Communications.
She lives in Bronxville, New York with her husband and two children.