Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Long-Time COO, Becomes First Woman On Its Board Of Directors

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s four-year chief operating officer, has a new role — board member. She will have her own vote in all company matters, Facebook confirms. Board members of the public company are elected by the existing board or by shareholders (in this case she was elected by the other members).
Sandberg has visibly earned the position during her tenure, building and running the social network’s business operations, which include “sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy and communications” as Facebook has grown to be worth billions.
She is also the first woman on the board, as you can see from the list of other members below. Given her number two position at the company, her success over the years, and the lack of diversity on the board, many outsiders had thought this new position would be a good fit for her.
“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, in a statement. “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.”
The existing board members:

• Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive
• Marc L. Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz
• Erskine B. Bowles, president emeritus, University of North Carolina system
• James W. Breyer, Accel Partners
• Donald E. Graham, chairman and CEO, The Washington Post Company
• Reed Hastings, chairman and CEO, Netflix
• Peter A. Thiel, Founders Fund.