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2005 Women Who Make a Difference
Awards Dinner
March 1, 2005

Click here for awards ceremony information.
Click here for the afternoon program.

Honoree Profile and Remarks
Click here for the list of all 2005 honorees.

Sandra A. Urie
CEO, Cambridge Associates, LLC

Sandra A. Urie is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Associates and has been with the firm since 1985. Prior to being appointed CEO, she was the Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for directing the firm's consulting practice Prior to assuming her management positions she was an active member of the consulting staff providing investment consulting services to a number of endowed nonprofit institutions and families. In addition, she specialized in the firm's financial planning practice assisting colleges, museums, and independent schools with long-range financial planning issues. Ms. Urie has fostered an environment in which female professionals can succeed and advance at Cambridge Associates, and is an important role model and mentor to her colleagues and staff.

Ms. Urie received her BA degree from Stanford University. Upon graduation, she worked as a member of the faculty at Phillips Academy (Andover) where she taught Russian language, served on the Admissions Office staff, and on the School's development office staff where she had responsibilities for capital fund raising and eventually assumed the position of Associate Secretary of the Academy with responsibility for the School's annual giving and alumni programs. She attended the Yale School of Organization and Management, where she received a Master of Arts in Public and Private Management. Ms. Urie is a Trustee of Phillips Academy in Andover where she chairs the Buildings and Grounds Committee and also serves on the Academy Resource Committee, chaired the 2003-2004 Strategic Planning Committee, served on the 1992-93 Trustee-Faculty Long-Range Planning Committee and the Search Committee for the Head of School. She has also served on the Boards of Trustees of Belmont Day School and Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School. Ms. Urie is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Sandra A. Urie's Remarks

First of all, I would like to thank the National Council for Research on Women for this honor. It is truly an honor to be among the group of women and organizations who have been singled out for this award both this year and in past years. As my daughter said when she learned about the award and very quickly visited the NCRW web site to learn more about it - "Boy Mom, you are in really good company." I certainly agree.

We were asked to comment briefly on a pivotal moment in our personal history that informed our development and approach to leadership. For me the process of becoming a leader was more of an evolutionary one. I was painfully shy as a little girl, so when I left home at age 13 to attend a girls boarding school, I was surprised when my classmates urged me to run for a class officer position - and even more suprised when I won! That did encourage me to run again, and eventually I became class president. Those experiences were first steps on the path to leadership - and perhaps it felt safer to take those kinds of risks in an all female environment.

When I spoke with Linda, I mentioned to her that I never explicitly set my sights on the top job at Cambridge Associates. From the start, however, I loved the work, our clients, my colleagues and the firm - and I think from that passion for what I was doing I found a path to take on increasing levels of responsibility as the firm grew. When I joined the firm 20 years ago, I suspected that I was joining a place that already was in the forefront of thinking about how to attract and retain women in the financial services industry. At the time I was finishing graduate school as a single mother with a 3 year old daughter. The rhetoric sounded promising - that I could be part of a challenging professional environment and also balance that with a desire to participate very actively in raising my daughter. Cambridge Associates delivered on the promise.

As I have taken on increasing levels of responsibility over the years, I have been committed to continuing to create an environment that provides the greatest opportunity for women and men to achieve at a high level in all aspects of their lives.

Finally, I'd like to comment on my family - my foundation. I grew up in the company of women. I have three sisters and no brothers. My parents were the first feminists I knew. They communicated to my sisters and me a sense of the possible - a sense that there were no limits to what we could do except those that we imposed on ourselves - and they were there cheering us on every step of the way. My Mom died five years ago but my Dad continues to be there not only for my sisters and me but also for his grandchildren. And raising a daughter focuses one squarely on the issues of women and how they develop their talents, pursue their passions and follow a path that leads to a fulfilling life. I like to think that I provide a good example of how one balances the many demands in our lives but I also learn every day from her. She is just getting underway in her own career having just completed college. I look forward to watching her follow her passion and develop a balanced life - and I hope to being a "consultant" in that process.

Many many thanks to the National Council for Research on women, to my family, my professional colleagues and my dear friends who have all played a part in defining my leadership values. This award from NCRW not only honors me but certainly all of you.

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