Who Is Sheri Kersch Schultz? The Amazing Life Story of Howard Schultz’s Wife

Sheri Kersch Schultz is an American philanthropist, a trained interior designer, and the wife of Howard Schultz, the longtime leader of Starbucks. She grew up in Ohio, earned a political science degree at the University of Denver, and married Howard in 1982, just as Starbucks was taking shape. Many people know her only as a spouse, yet she stood by her husband when he struggled to raise money for his coffee idea, and she later built a major charitable organization of her own. In 1996 she co-founded the Schultz Family Foundation, which now works on youth employment and veteran careers. This article covers her background, family, career, and impact, using official and reputable sources.

What Are the Key Facts About Sheri Kersch Schultz?

Sheri Kersch Schultz is the co-founder and chair of the Schultz Family Foundation and the wife of former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz. The foundation’s own website uses the title “co-founder and chair.” Older profiles list her as president, so her title has changed over time.

She has stayed out of the spotlight for most of her marriage. Reliable details come mainly from the foundation, interviews, and Howard Schultz’s public record. The table below lists what those sources confirm.

Detail	Information
Full name	Sheri Kersch Schultz
Known for	Co-founder of the Schultz Family Foundation; wife of Howard Schultz
Birth date	Not confirmed by official sources
Hometown	Lima, Ohio
Education	Bachelor’s degree in political science, University of Denver
Training	Professionally trained interior designer
Profession	Philanthropist and foundation leader
Role at the foundation	Co-founder and chair (earlier profiles say president)
Spouse	Howard Schultz, married in 1982
Children	Two, including son Jordan
Foundation founded	1996
Main causes	Opportunity Youth and post-9/11 veterans
Long-time home	Seattle, Washington
Net worth	No separate figure is publicly confirmed

Where Did Sheri Kersch Schultz Grow Up?

Sheri Kersch Schultz grew up in Lima, Ohio, in a middle-class family with loving parents. Her upbringing differed sharply from Howard’s, who grew up in public housing in Canarsie, Brooklyn.

Her father, Harry Kersch, built a successful industrial laundry business. Her mother supported him at every step of that effort. Sheri told interviewers that watching her parents take that risk shaped her own choices later in life.

She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Denver. She also trained as an interior designer and worked in that field as a young woman. That design background mattered later, when Starbucks needed its first stores to look right.

How Did Sheri Kersch Schultz Meet and Marry Howard Schultz?

Sheri Kersch married Howard Schultz in 1982, the same year he joined Starbucks as director of retail operations and marketing. At that time Starbucks was a small Seattle company that sold coffee beans and equipment.

Websites offer several versions of how the couple met, and they disagree with each other. This article leaves that detail out because no reliable source confirms it.

Howard was born in Brooklyn in 1953 and studied communications at Northern Michigan University. He worked at Xerox and at a kitchenware company before he moved into coffee. Sheri was building her own career as a designer while he chased his idea.

By 2019 the couple had been married for 37 years, according to Pattie Sellers of SellersEaston Media. In a joint radio interview that year, they talked openly about the pressures of public life and family challenges.

What Role Did Sheri Kersch Schultz Play in the Starbucks Story?

Sheri gave Howard financial stability and steady personal support while he raised money for his coffee business. Howard has said that they had no money at that point and that Sheri was eight months pregnant with their first child. She kept working and drew a salary, while he had no income.

Howard left Starbucks in 1985 to open his own espresso bar, and the fundraising was brutal. He approached 242 investors, and 217 of them said no. Sheri’s father, a successful businessman, urged his son-in-law to give up the plan and find a stable job.

Howard told Sheri about that advice, and she did not waver. She said she understood her father wanted to protect her, but she told Howard they would see the plan through. Howard also says she helped design the early Starbucks stores.

He credits her directly. He says Starbucks would not exist without her courage. After the 1992 public offering, the couple’s holdings were worth about $25 million, according to the same interview coverage.

What Is the Schultz Family Foundation?

The Schultz Family Foundation is a nonprofit that Sheri and Howard Schultz co-founded in 1996 to expand economic opportunity in the United States. Sheri has led its work for roughly three decades.

The foundation focuses on two groups. The first is Opportunity Youth, meaning the 4.6 million people aged 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor working. The second is the 4.2 million post-9/11 veterans who often struggle to turn military skills into civilian careers.

Its current programs include the Youth Mental Health Corps, the American Opportunity Index, a cash assistance effort, and a veteran transition partnership. It also works on what it calls a better marketplace for job seekers.

The Schultz family funds the foundation partly through investments in young companies. Returns from many of those investments flow back into the foundation. That structure aims to sustain its work over the long term.

How Does Sheri Kersch Schultz Approach Philanthropy?

Sheri Kersch Schultz treats philanthropy as a problem to solve by connecting employers, nonprofits, and government. She does not see giving as a one-time gift.

Early in her work, she saw that a fractured system of social supports was failing people who wanted to improve their lives. Many of them were motivated but could not escape homelessness or poverty. That observation shaped the foundation’s direction.

The foundation believes talent exists everywhere but opportunity does not. It therefore tries to seed new ideas and then scale the ones that work, with a strong emphasis on connecting young people to good jobs.

Under her leadership, the foundation brings business leaders to the table alongside philanthropists, nonprofit groups, and public officials. Pattie Sellers described her style as hands-on and innovative, and noted that she pursued it while staying out of the headlines.

What Do We Know About Her Family and Private Life?

Sheri and Howard Schultz have two children. Their son Jordan works as a sports analyst and NFL insider. The family has kept most details of its private life out of the press.

The couple has lived in Seattle for decades. Howard’s public life, including his Starbucks roles, his books, and his brief 2019 exploration of a presidential run, drew far more attention than Sheri’s.

She rarely gives interviews. When she does, she tends to talk about the foundation, her parents’ influence, and her belief in taking calculated risks. That restraint explains why so few reliable biographical details exist about her.

Readers should treat celebrity-style profile sites with caution. Several of them repeat unverified birth dates and personal claims without naming a source.

What Is Sheri Kersch Schultz’s Net Worth?

No reliable source publishes a separate net worth figure for Sheri Kersch Schultz. The family’s wealth comes mainly from Starbucks stock and later investments, and public reporting tracks Howard’s holdings rather than hers.

Forbes valued Howard Schultz at $4.3 billion in October 2020 and at $3.9 billion in July 2022. Those figures reflect his stock holdings, and they change with the market.

Some websites claim a shared figure for the couple. Without a named source, those numbers remain estimates. The more useful measure of her influence is the foundation she helped build and the programs it funds.

Conclusion

Sheri Kersch Schultz is more than a famous executive’s spouse. She backed Howard Schultz when Starbucks was a risky idea, helped shape its first stores, and then spent three decades building the Schultz Family Foundation. Her work now focuses on young people and veterans who need a fair path to good jobs. She keeps a low profile, but her record speaks clearly.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sheri Kersch Schultz

1. Who is Sheri Kersch Schultz?

Sheri Kersch Schultz is an American philanthropist and trained interior designer. She is married to Howard Schultz, the longtime Starbucks leader. In 1996 she co-founded the Schultz Family Foundation with him, and she remains one of its leaders today. She has kept a mostly private public profile.

2. Is Sheri Kersch Schultz married to Howard Schultz?

Yes. Sheri Kersch married Howard Schultz in 1982, the same year he joined Starbucks as director of retail operations and marketing. They have two children and have been married for more than four decades. She has supported his career throughout that time.

3. Where did Sheri Kersch Schultz grow up?

She grew up in Lima, Ohio, in a middle-class family. Her father, Harry Kersch, built an industrial laundry business, and her mother supported him throughout. Sheri has said that watching her parents take that risk shaped how she backed Howard’s uncertain plans for Starbucks.

4. What did Sheri Kersch Schultz study?

She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Denver. She is also professionally trained as an interior designer. According to Howard Schultz, she used those design skills to help shape the look of Starbucks’ early stores.

5. What does Sheri Kersch Schultz do for a living?

She works in philanthropy. She co-founded the Schultz Family Foundation in 1996, and the foundation currently lists her as co-founder and chair. Older profiles describe her as president. Her work centers on youth employment and on helping veterans move into civilian careers.

6. What is the Schultz Family Foundation?

It is a nonprofit that Sheri and Howard Schultz founded in 1996. It focuses on Opportunity Youth, the 4.6 million people aged 16 to 24 who are not in school or working, and on post-9/11 veterans. It funds programs, research, and partnerships that open paths to good jobs.

7. How did Sheri Kersch Schultz help Starbucks succeed?

She kept a salary while Howard raised money, and she refused to let her father’s doubts end the plan. She also helped design early stores. Howard says Starbucks would not exist without her courage. Her support gave him the stability to keep pitching investors after most turned him down.

8. Does Sheri Kersch Schultz have children?

Yes, she and Howard have two children. Their son Jordan works as a sports analyst and NFL insider. The family has kept most details of its private life out of the press, and Sheri rarely gives interviews about her children.

9. What is Sheri Kersch Schultz’s net worth?

No reliable source lists a separate net worth for her. Forbes valued Howard Schultz at $3.9 billion in July 2022, and the family’s wealth ties mainly to Starbucks stock. Treat shared estimates on celebrity websites with caution, since most name no source.

10. How old is Sheri Kersch Schultz?

Official sources do not publish her birth date. Some websites list April 2, 1954, but those pages cite no primary source, so this article does not confirm it. The Schultz Family Foundation’s biography for her also omits her age.