Sheryl Sandberg Becomes First Woman Appointed to Facebook Board of Directors

Social network giant Facebook announced today that Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at the company, has joined its board of directors.

Sandberg oversees Facebook’s business operations including sales, marketing, business development, legal, human resources, public policy and communications, and has been a long-time advocate of empowering women in the workplace since her days at Google.

“Sheryl has been my partner in running Facebook and has been central to our growth and success over the years,” said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook. “Her understanding of our mission and long-term opportunity, and her experience both at Facebook and on public company boards makes her a natural fit for our board.”

“Facebook is working every day to make the world more open and connected,” Sandberg said. “It’s a mission that I’m deeply passionate about, and I feel fortunate to be part of a company that is having such a profound impact in the world.”

Prior to Facebook, Sandberg was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, where she built and managed the online sales channels for advertising and publishing and operations for consumer products worldwide. Facebook is not her first board appointment, however: Sandberg also serves on the boards of The Walt Disney Company, Women for Women International, the Center for Global Development and V-Day.

Facebook shares are down 3% today.