About UMGC

Sherri Sampson, JD, is senior vice president, general counsel, and chief people officer for UMGC, where she leads the Office of Legal Affairs and oversees Human Resources and the Office of Diversity and Equity.

She joined the university in September 2019 as vice president and general counsel after serving for 17 years as chief human resources officer, general counsel, and corporate secretary of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a global nonprofit organization that provides products and services, including the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), to business schools. In her various roles, she has handled issues related to contracts, labor and employment, disability accommodations, crisis management, privacy, and security.

Previously, Sampson served as an associate attorney on the corporate and securities team at the Washington, D.C.–based international law firm of Hogan Lovells and as a corporate transactions associate attorney at the Seattle, Washington, office of Perkins Coie. Virginia Business Law Magazine named her one of the Virginia Legal Elite's Best Lawyers.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Sampson earned her bachelor's degree, with distinction, in comparative area studies (East Asia and Western Europe) from Duke University. She has studied Japanese law, literature, and culture and French literature and culture abroad, and holds a certificate in Asian and African languages and literature. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law and was admitted to the bar in Washington State, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and (for limited practice as in-house counsel) in Virginia.