Wanda Witherspoon
Senior Vice President, People & Culture
Wanda Witherspoon is Senior Vice President of People & Culture at Sesame Workshop, where she provides enterprise-wide leadership across key people and culture priorities.
In partnership with the Office of the CEO and the Chief People Officer, she guides the organization’s people strategy, with a focus on leadership development, performance and growth, employee experience, and culture and workplace initiatives. She also supports board-level oversight as a liaison to the Human Resources & Compensation Committee.
A member of the organization for nearly three decades, Wanda is recognized for her ability to guide teams through change, build collaborative cultures, and connect mission, people, and leadership in ways that strengthen Sesame’s impact inside and outside the organization.
Wanda led the development of Sesame Workshop’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, shaping the organization’s approach to representation, inclusion, and equitable practices. She now integrates that work into employee experience and culture efforts across the People & Culture portfolio, helping embed values-driven behaviors into everyday leadership and organizational practices. Her work continues to advance the Culture & Workplace strategic project, which supports Sesame’s long-term vision for a thriving, values-aligned workforce.
Earlier in her career at Sesame Workshop, Wanda produced and managed major global and domestic events that elevated the organization’s mission and impact. Under her leadership, Sesame has been featured at the Skoll World Forum, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the Milken Institute Global Conference, The Aspen Institute, The Atlantic Festival, the Global Philanthropy Forum, the first Global Refugee Forum, and high-level events during the United Nations General Assembly, among others. She also produced Sesame’s live performances and large-scale community events, the organization’s Annual Benefit Dinner, and multi-city road tours highlighting Sesame’s social impact work.
Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, Witherspoon was a producer for Fox Television. She began her career in promotions at Black Entertainment Television in Washington, DC and was a producer and editor at Arlington Community Television (now Arlington Independent Media) in Virginia. Witherspoon is a graduate of Marymount University, Arlington, with a degree in Mass Communications and where she now serves as Board Chair to the College of Sciences & Humanities.
Contact for Speaking Engagements
Sesame Workshop Speakers Bureau
speakersbureau@sesame.org
