Jerrold Sandler began his long career in educational radio as a child, appearing in radio dramas. During graduate school, he served as acting manager of the University of Michigan Broadcasting Service. In 1962, he was Executive Director of the Individual Member Division of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters. In 1964, he began his position as Executive Director of National Educational Radio within the NAEB. In this role, he proved central to the inclusion of radio in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. After leaving NER, he served as director of the Reading Is Fundamental program at the Smithsonian Institution, and later served as a consultant for the National Council on Aging, the Ford Foundation, and others. He later returned to university teaching and broadcasting, and retired in 1992. Sandler died on February 24, 1995.
From the combined records of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB), held by the University of Maryland and the Wisconsin Historical Society, and compiled as part of the Unlocking the Airwaves project (unlockingtheairwaves.org).