Linda Sanford graduated from St. John's University and continued her education at Rensselaer, where she received a master's degree in operations research.

Sanford served in a number of senior leadership positions at IBM, during which time she helped take the tech company from fifth place to second in storage market share in two years. She also headed IBM Global Industries, responsible for nearly 70 percent of IBM's revenue. Before retiring from IBM, she served as the senior vice president of Enterprise Transformation, where she worked to transform core business process while creating one of the most comprehensive information technology infrastructures and large-enterprise systems. Upon retirement, Sanford assumed a leadership position as a director with Pitney Bowes, a global technology company.

She is a member of the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Engineering, and served on the boards of Partnership for New York City, ITT Industries, St. John's University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There is a scholarship in honor of Sanford, funded by IBM, is available to women students continuing their education in technology through the Society of Women Engineers.