Sandy Lerner facts for kids

Sandy Lerner (born 1955) is an American businesswoman. She is also a philanthropist, which means she gives money and time to help others. Sandy helped start a famous technology company called Cisco Systems. After selling her part of Cisco, she used the money to support things she cared about. These included helping animals and promoting writing by women. While one of her big projects, Chawton House, is in England, most of her work is in the United States.

Sandy lives in Virginia, where she owns a farm called Ayrshire Farm. She spends her time working with Chawton House Library. She also helps animal welfare groups around the world.

Early Life and Education

Sandy Lerner grew up in northern California. She went to college and earned several degrees. In 1975, she got her first degree in international relations from California State University, Chico. Later, in 1977, she earned a master's degree in econometrics from the Claremont Graduate School. Econometrics uses math and statistics to study economic data. In 1981, she earned another master's degree in statistics and computer science from Stanford University.

Starting Cisco Systems

In 1984, Sandy Lerner was working at Stanford University. She was in charge of the computer systems for the business school. With her partner, Len Bosack, she started Cisco Systems. Sandy and Len worked with students and teachers at Stanford. Their goal was to connect all the different computer systems at the school. They took the software they developed at Stanford and used it to create the main technology for Cisco. This technology is called Cisco IOS.

Sandy shared that in the early days, they built computer routers in their living room. They even used credit cards to pay for the business. She said that even though the basic rules for computers to talk to each other (called communication protocols) were free for everyone to use, Cisco still made products that people wanted to buy.

In 1988, Sandy and Len brought in John Morgridge to be the CEO of Cisco. On August 28, 1990, Sandy was fired from the company. When Len heard this, he quit his job to support her. They both sold all their shares in Cisco for $170 million. After this, they retired from the company. Sandy and Len later divorced in the early 1990s.

Other Business Ventures

In 1996, Sandy Lerner bought Ayrshire Farm. This is a 600-acre farm in Upperville, Virginia. The farm has a large 42-room mansion built around 1912. Sandy restored the mansion, and it was used for many social events. Ayrshire Farm's main goal is to farm in a way that is good for the environment and also makes money. They want to show people the benefits of eating locally grown, humanely raised meats and organic produce. The farm was the first in Virginia to meet both Certified Humane and Certified Organic standards. This means their animals are treated well, and their crops are grown without harmful chemicals.

Sandy also invested some of her money from Cisco into a company called "& Capital Partners." This company helped fund other new businesses. One of these was Urban Decay Cosmetics. This makeup company had a bold slogan: "does pink make you puke?" In 2000, a French luxury company called LVMH bought Urban Decay. Later, in 2002, Urban Decay became an independent company again.

Sandy also owns Hunter's Head Tavern in Upperville, Virginia. She also owns Gentle Harvest in Marshall, Virginia.

Artistic Pursuits and Giving Back

In 1992, Sandy Lerner and Leonard Bosack used their foundation to help restore Chawton House. This historic house in England was once owned by Jane Austen's brother, Edward Austen Knight. In 2003, it opened as a center for studying writings by women from 1600 to 1830. In 2016, Sandy left the board of trustees and stopped providing financial support from her foundation.

In November 2011, Sandy Lerner wrote a book called Second Impressions. It was a sequel to Jane Austen's famous novel Pride and Prejudice. She used the pen name Ava Farmer for the book. In August 2017, Sandy released Caticons. This book features art that looks like cats. A cat news website called The Purrington Post said it was a "Must have" for cat lovers.

In September 2023, Sandy Lerner wrote the introduction for a book. The book is called Founder vs Investor: The Honest Truth About Venture Capital From Startup To IPO. It talks about the relationships between people who start companies and those who invest money in them.

Awards and Special Recognition

Sandy Lerner has received several honors for her work. In 2005, she was given an honorary degree from Southampton University. In 2012, she received a Doctor of Sciences degree from California State University, Chico.

In 2009, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society honored Sandy Lerner and Leonard Bosack. They received the Computer Entrepreneur Award. This award was given "for founding Cisco Systems and pioneering and advancing the commercialization of routing technology." This technology greatly changed the computer industry.

In 1998, Sandy was featured in a PBS documentary called Nerds 2.0.1. She also appeared in the documentary film Something Ventured in 2011.

In November 2014, Sandy Lerner received the Pioneer Award. This award recognized her important work in the field of technology.

In 2015, Sandy was given an honorary OBE by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson. An OBE is a special award from the United Kingdom. She received it for her contributions to UK culture. The ceremony took place at Chawton House.