Sherrie Westin
President & CEO, Sesame Workshop
This episode premieres Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 7:00pm ET
“If I’m going to work this hard and continue to — how fortunate am I that it’s for something that matters.”
Summary
Among the many issues modern society is grappling with, getting children’s education right is especially challenging. It is of supreme importance for the future of our country, but often lacks urgency, as its consequences will only be felt in the decades to come. It is a topic where vocal, forward-looking leadership is needed to produce the best possible outcomes for the next generation of leaders.
Sherrie Westin is exactly that kind of leader. As the President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that powers Sesame Street, she is the steward of one of the world’s most recognizable children’s educational brands and has fought tirelessly to bring science-based educational content to children around the world.
In addition to the quality of Sesame Workshop’s programming, I wanted to have Sherrie on Leadership Matters because of the scale that she is able to reach. We discussed the neuroscience beneath the fun at Sesame Street, Joan Ganz Cooney’s genius in designing a show for grown-ups as much as for kids, and the candor it took to step up as CEO during the hardest year in the Workshop’s history. In a race-to-the-bottom children’s media ecosystem, Sherrie makes a compelling case that the need for Sesame and its high-quality programming has never been greater. Her reflections on self-awareness and purpose offer a wonderful roadmap for any leader trying to both build with purpose and build to last.
Mentions & Resources in this Episode
Guest Bio
Sherrie Westin is President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, and serves on its Board of Trustees. Westin leads the organization’s efforts to deliver research-driven early learning to children in more than 190 countries through mass media and community programs designed to meet the most pressing needs of children today.
Westin has held leadership positions in media, nonprofit, and public service. She served as Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs for President George H.W. Bush, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and held senior positions at the ABC Television Network and U.S. News & World Report.
She was named a “Leading Global Thinker” by Foreign Policy Magazine, one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business,” a CNBC Changemaker, and to Forbes’ “50 Over 50” list. She was also recognized with the Smithsonian’s “American Ingenuity Award” and the Thomas Jefferson Medal for Citizen Leadership by the University of Virginia.
Westin is Board Chair of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, serves as a director of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and Vital Voices Global Partnership, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.