The Cast: Bob Sherman
By Erin Crager, Marketing Intern, Stanford Blood Center
A deafening whistle cuts through the crisp morning air of Stanford Blood Center’s (SBC) parking lot, on par with the ear piercing fire alarm that’s just led to the congregation of the staff. The drill has brought all departments together for an unplanned meeting and the sharp sound quickly quells any conspicuous casual conversations. Just as briefly as Bob Sherman has elected to emit this ephemeral yet effective note for acquiring everyone’s attention, he steps aside, almost as if he were politely holding the door for someone, and gives the floor to Patti of QA, who quickly proceeds to recruit her department for roll call.
Bobs ability to command the attention of large groups in an instant works well for how he spends much of his spare time. When he’s not overseeing operations as SBC’s Finance Manager, Bob’s been sounding a different kind of whistle as a soccer referee trainer. He’s ref’d various youth leagues for 19 years and for the last 12 has been referee liaison to the San Jose Earthquakes, ensuring all referees’ needs are taken care of on game days.
Bob’s also been drawing attention since the age of six when he picked up both guitar and bass guitar. Once a diehard fanatic of The Clash, The Ramones, and Dead Kennedys, his musical tastes have moved from punk in the direction of folk. His current band favors Beatles tunes and is now rehearsing weekly with plans to perform during the holidays.
As Finance Manager at SBC, Bob has played a crucial role in advising upper management, setting up procedures/controls, putting together dashboard reports for each department’s operational and financial stats and, of course, blowing the whistle on any potential overspending.