Facebook names first woman, Sheryl Sandberg, to board

Facebook appointed its chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, to its Board of Directors on Monday, making her the first woman on the panel.

The company had faced pressure from women's advocacy groups to include a woman in its board, which includes venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, Washington Post Company CEO Donald Graham and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the chairman of its Board of Directors and controls a majority of the company's voting power.

Sandberg was a vice president at Google before joining Facebook in 2008. She also served as chief of staff for Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers under former President Clinton.

“Sheryl has been my partner in running Facebook and has been central to our growth and success over the years,” Zuckerberg said in a statement. “Her understanding of our mission and long-term opportunity, and her experience both at Facebook and on public company boards makes her a natural fit for our board.”

Sandberg said she is "deeply passionate" about Facebook's mission to make the "world more open and connected."

The company had a disappointing initial public offering last month. The stock sunk soon after its market debut, although it has since re-gained some of its value.

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