Robert F. Sherman, PhD

Robert F. Sherman, PhD has been a leader in philanthropy focused on social and emotional learning for over 25 years, integrating this interest with deep engagement on youth civic activism and social justice teaching/learning. He now works as a consultant to philanthropic foundations and nonprofits in areas of education reform, youth development and leadership, civic engagement, communications and arts education. 

Until March 2013 he served as Director, Initiative for Social and Emotional Learning at NoVo Foundation where, along with Pamela McVeagh-Lally, he helped steward a robust, 8 large district learning/teaching initiative, the first major scaled program in the SEL field. 

Prior to NoVo, Sherman served as Executive Director of the Action Center to End World Hunger, a division of Mercy Corps where he supervised the agency’s Global Citizen Corps, a youth activist and service program involving thousands of young people from 11 countries who convened in person and online in a yearlong peer-to-peer leadership, learning and service effort focused on local action-taking on global challenges around hunger, poverty, conflict, and human rights. 

Sherman founded and directed the national Effective Citizenry program at the Surdna Foundation in New York City, where he served for 15 years. That program was anchored in SEL. Sherman served in the NYC government for 8 years, founding and directing a grassroots-focused division of the Mayor’s office. He graduated from Haverford College, and holds a clinical psychology PhD from the Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University.