Many people know Howard Schultz for his years leading Starbucks. Fewer know about the work his wife has built beyond the coffee business. Sheri Kersch Schultz helped create a foundation that supports young people facing barriers to housing, work, and health care. What began with her concern for young people in Seattle has grown into work with charities, employers, and public agencies across the United States. Her story is about more than a well-known marriage. It is also about the practical question that has guided much of her work: what help does a young person need to take the next step?
Sheri Kersch Schultz: Key Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Known for | Co-founding the Schultz Family Foundation |
| Current foundation role | Co-founder and chair |
| Foundation established | 1996 |
| Husband | Howard Schultz |
| Children | Two, Jordan and Addison |
| Grew up | In the American Midwest |
| Education | Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Denver |
| Other professional training | Interior design |
| Main areas of work | Youth opportunity, housing, mental health, and employment |
| Long-standing community ties | Seattle, Washington |
Midwest Upbringing and Education
Sheri Kersch Schultz grew up in the Midwest. Public information about her childhood is limited, so there is little reason to fill the gaps with guesses about her family or early ambitions. One clear fact is that she studied political science at the University of Denver. That subject looks at government, public decisions, and how society works. It forms part of her background, although she has not presented it as the single reason she chose a career in giving and community work.
She also trained professionally as an interior designer. That detail often disappears from short accounts of her life, yet it shows that her experience extends beyond leading a foundation. There is no clear public evidence that she designed Starbucks stores, despite claims sometimes made online. Her documented career has centered on helping people and building partnerships. Keeping those parts of her story separate gives readers a more accurate picture of who she is and what she has done.
Marriage to Howard Schultz and Family Life
Sheri Kersch Schultz married Howard Schultz in 1982. Their marriage began before Starbucks became a global name under his leadership. During those early years, Howard was working to turn his plans for the coffee business into reality. He has spoken publicly about Sheri’s support at that time. Their shared history matters to the foundation’s story because the couple later used their resources and experience to work on problems they saw in their community.
They have two children, Jordan and Addison. Both names are public, but the family has not made every part of its private life available for public discussion. It is more useful to focus on what Sheri and Howard have chosen to share: a long marriage and a joint commitment to creating opportunities for others. Howard’s connection to Starbucks may draw attention to Sheri, but her leadership at the foundation stands on its own.
How the Schultz Family Foundation Began
In 1996, Sheri Kersch Schultz and Howard co-founded the Schultz Family Foundation. Its early work grew from Sheri’s contact with young people experiencing homelessness in Seattle. She saw that someone could want to improve their life and still struggle to find the right support. A place to sleep, help from a trusted adult, or a chance to work could make a difference, but those forms of help were not always easy to reach together.
The foundation’s work developed from those local experiences. It now supports projects and partnerships intended to help young people move into adult life with more stable choices. Its approach reflects a simple idea: ability is widely shared, while access to opportunity is uneven. That belief has shaped work on jobs, housing, service, and mental health. The foundation has also supported veterans moving from military service into civilian employment.
Her Role as Co-Founder and Chair
Sheri Kersch Schultz is the foundation’s co-founder and chair. This is an active leadership role, not simply a title linked to her husband’s career. The foundation says she has brought businesses, charities, and public leaders together to address problems that no single group can solve alone. A company may offer a job, for example, while a community group helps an applicant prepare for an interview or manage a difficult change at home.
That way of working takes time. A promising idea must fit the needs of the people it serves, and partners need to know whether it helps. The foundation describes a process of testing ideas, learning from results, and working with others to expand what proves useful. Sheri has also spoken about the value of mentoring and support after someone is hired. Getting through the door matters, but help in the weeks and months that follow can matter just as much.
Helping Young People Find Work
One major focus of Sheri Kersch Schultz’s work has been young people who are neither in school nor employed. They may be ready to work yet face barriers such as limited training, few contacts, or unstable housing. Calling them “opportunity youth” puts attention on what they can do when given a fair chance. The foundation has worked with employers and community organizations to make those chances more accessible.
An example is the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, which brought companies and local organizations together around youth employment. At a Chicago event, young people could meet employers and get help with interviews and other steps toward work. The aim went beyond filling open roles for a day. The wider effort asked employers to recognize potential and provide support that helps a new worker stay and grow. It also showed how much interest young people had when the route to an opportunity was made clearer.
Responding to Youth Homelessness
Housing has remained central to Sheri Kersch Schultz’s work. A young person without a safe place to stay may find it harder to keep a job, attend classes, or plan for the future. The foundation has backed approaches that try to prevent a housing crisis before it grows worse. One is flexible cash help delivered through people a young person already trusts. That help can address an immediate problem while the young person works toward a more stable home.
The work continues in Seattle. In September 2026, the foundation and King County announced a $20 million partnership to expand shelter and transitional housing for young people. Each side committed $10 million. The plan supports 92 youth-designated units, including new shelter beds and transitional housing units that were at risk of closing. It is a recent example of the foundation’s approach: bring public funding, private giving, and local services together around a practical need.
Supporting Veterans Through Career Change
Sheri Kersch Schultz and the foundation have also worked to improve the move from military service to civilian life. A veteran may have valuable experience but find it difficult to describe those skills in the language an employer expects. Leaving the military can involve other changes at the same time, including a new routine, new services, and decisions about where to live or work. A job search alone may therefore be only one part of the challenge.
The foundation has supported organizations that help service members prepare for civilian careers and find suitable work. Its Veteran Transition Partnership brings together groups that can offer guidance before and after military service ends. This focus grew after Sheri and Howard listened to veterans describe their experiences. The connection with her youth work is clear: a difficult transition becomes easier when someone can find useful advice, training, and people willing to help at the right time.
The Youth Mental Health Corps
More recently, Sheri Kersch Schultz has helped advance the Youth Mental Health Corps. The program trains and pays young adults to support other young people in schools and communities. Corps members can help someone find mental health resources and feel more comfortable asking for help. They are not presented as replacements for trained therapists. Their role is to build a bridge toward support while gaining experience of their own.
The effort began in 2024 through a partnership involving the foundation, Pinterest, and service organizations. By 2026, it had expanded to 16 states, according to the foundation. Sheri has described the program as a way to respond to two needs at once: more support for young people and clearer career routes for the young adults who serve. That makes the project a good example of how her foundation links immediate help with longer-term opportunity.
Looking Beyond the First Job
The foundation’s employment work also asks what happens after a person is hired. A first job may provide income, but it should ideally offer room to build skills and move forward. The American Opportunity Index, developed with research partners, examines how large employers create chances for workers to enter, earn, and advance. It helps bring attention to the choices companies make about hiring, pay, and promotion.
This work fits the broader goals that Sheri and the foundation have set. Young people need clear information about possible careers, but employers also have a part to play. Training and effort cannot do everything if workers have little chance to progress. By studying real career outcomes, the foundation aims to help people see which workplaces offer better paths. It is a different kind of support from a housing fund or a job fair, but it addresses the same question of access.
Public Recognition and the Work Ahead
Sheri’s contribution has received public recognition. She and Howard were honored by the Aspen Institute for public service in 2016, when they spoke about the foundation’s work with young people and veterans. Still, an award tells only a small part of the story. Her record is better understood through the foundation’s continuing projects, from youth housing in Washington to partnerships focused on jobs and mental health across the country.
Those projects also show the limits of any one person’s role. Sheri provides leadership, while staff, service providers, employers, researchers, and young people themselves shape the work on the ground. That distinction matters when describing a large foundation fairly. Its programs depend on many people sharing knowledge and responsibility. Sheri’s contribution has been to keep bringing those groups together around people who might otherwise struggle to find a way forward.
Conclusion
Sheri Kersch Schultz is known as Howard Schultz’s wife, but that description leaves out decades of her own work. As co-founder and chair of the Schultz Family Foundation, she has helped build efforts around youth employment, housing, mental health, and support for veterans. Her early work with homeless young people in Seattle still connects to the foundation’s current projects. The details have changed over time, but the central goal has stayed clear: make useful opportunities easier for people to reach when they need them.
(FAQ’s)
1. Who is Sheri Kersch Schultz?
She is the co-founder and chair of the Schultz Family Foundation and the wife of former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz.
2. When was the Schultz Family Foundation founded?
Sheri and Howard Schultz co-founded it in 1996.
3. What did she study?
She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Denver. She is also professionally trained in interior design.
4. Do Sheri and Howard Schultz have children?
Yes. They have two children, Jordan and Addison.
5. What does the foundation focus on?
Its work includes opportunities for young people, housing support, mental health, career progress, and help for veterans entering civilian life.
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