Sandy Lerner

Sandy Lerner (born in 1955) was a co-founder of Cisco Systems (with then husband Leonard Bosack). After leaving Cisco, she was a founder of Urban Decay cosmetics, and an advocate of animal welfare.

She received her bachelor's degree in 1975 in political science from California State University, Chico, a master's degree in econometrics in 1977 from the Claremont Graduate School, and a master's degree in statistics and computer science in 1981 from Stanford University.

In 1984, Sandy Lerner cofounded Cisco Systems with her then boyfriend, and now ex-husband, Len Bosack, while working as Director of Computer Facilities for the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

It is widely reported that Lerner and Bosack designed the first router so that they could connect the incompatible computer systems of the Stanford offices they were working in so that they could send romantic love letters to each other. However, this was a manufactured corporate legend. In fact, both systems (SU-SCORE and SU-GSB) were TOPS-20 systems. The problem was not that the systems were incompatible (obviously, being the same, they were not), but that the SU-GSB system was not on any network.

It has also been noted that the original router was designed and created by a group of people at Stanford, both students and faculty, rather than Lerner and Bosack alone.

Lerner and Bosack brought in John Morgridge to be the third CEO of Cisco in 1988. On August 28, 1990, Lerner was fired; upon hearing the news, Bosack resigned to show his support for her. The two sold all of their founder's stock and retired from Cisco.

Sandy placed a portion of her stock earnings into a start-up venture capital limited partnership called "& Capital Partners." Among the ventures funded was a new cosmetics company (1995) called Urban Decay Cosmetics, with the tag line "does pink make you puke?" In February 2000, Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the French luxury goods conglomerate acquired the firm. It was spun off from LVMH in December 2002.

Lerner is now involved in a number of high-tech and philanthropic activities. She invested money into the restoration of the Jane Austen family dwelling Chawton House, making it a center for the study of English women's writing.

She primarily resides at her 800-acre (3.2 km²) estate, Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Virginia that she acquired in 1996. The circa-1912, 42-room Edwardian-style mansion of native fieldstone has since been restored and is used for a variety of social functions under Sandy's direction.

Ayrshire Farm's mission is to farm sustainably and profitably, promoting the benefits of locally produced, humanely-raised meats and organic produce to the consumer, the community, and children through education, outreach and example. The farm sells its products online and locally from The Home Store in Middleburg, Virginia. Sandy also owns the Hunter's Head Tavern in Upperville, Virginia.

Lerner received honorary doctorates from Washington and Jefferson College, Goucher College University of Southampton in England and Shenandoah University.

Lerner was featured in the documentary film Something Ventured which premiered in 2011.

External links

• "Does pink make you puke?". Forbes. August 25, 1997.
• "Urban Decay history"
• "Two Starts and a Stir". Washington Post. 2005-06-22.