Sheryl Garland is a native of Richmond, Virginia who received an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in 1982 and a Masters in Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1988. Since joining the VCU Health System in 1987 as an administrative resident, she has served in various leadership roles including Vice President for Health Policy and Community Relations, Vice President for Community Outreach, Director of Ambulatory Care Services, and Director of Planning. In her current role as Chief of Health Impact, Sheryl is responsible for building programs and partnerships to improve the health of populations and communities served by VCU Health System. In this position, she provides leadership for the health system’s Division of Community Health that focuses on building programs and partnerships to advance health equity and address health disparities identified in populations and communities served. Projects to date have included initiatives to identify and address social determinants of health such as housing instability, food insecurity, employment, and transportation needs. In addition to her health system responsibilities, Sheryl serves as the Executive Director of the VCU Office of Health Equity. This office is responsible for integrating the principles of health equity into VCU’s core missions (education/training, research, and service). Previous positions within the University include Director of Community Outreach for the VCU Institute for Women's Health, Administrative Director of the VCU Center on Health Disparities, and Director of the VCU Office of Health Innovation.

Sheryl is the recipient of several awards including the American College of Health Care Executives Regent’s Early Career Healthcare Executive Award, the VCU Presidential Award for Community Multicultural Enrichment (Administrator Award), VCU/MCV School of Medicine Dean’s Award for Community Service, YWCA of Richmond Outstanding Woman of the Year Award in the field of Health/Science, the VCU Department of Health Administration Alumni of the Year Award and the department’s Lifetime and Service Achievement Award, the First African Baptist Church Community Leader’s Award, and the MCV Foundation’s Jerome F. Strauss III Award. She participated in Leadership Metro Richmond, the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems’ (America’s Essential Hospitals) ambulatory fellows program, the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute, and LEAD Virginia. Sheryl is a fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives and a member of SisterFund, an African American Women’s Giving Circle. She currently serves on the Virginia Board of Social Services as well as the boards of the MCV Foundation, Virginia Center for Health Innovation, American Heart Association Richmond Affiliate, the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, and the Institute for Public Health Innovation (Board Chair). Sheryl is also a Trustee Emeritus of the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation.