Lynn Schusterman was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Oklahoma City. She first learned about philanthropy from her father. As she listened and watched him she was impressed with the importance of helping others help themselves. Lynn is the widow of Charles Schusterman, founder of Samson Investment Company, a Tulsa gas exploration and production company. Charles died in 2000, at the age of 65, from complications of leukemia.

Lynn Schusterman is chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation headquartered in Tulsa with offices in Washington, D.C. Through the Foundation as well as personal endeavors she has become a world-renowned advocate for the Jewish community.

Founded by the Schusterman couple in 1987, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is dedicated to advancing causes important to the Jewish people by supporting programs throughout the world that spread the joy of their culture, heritage, and values. With emphasis in the areas of education, child advocacy and youth leadership in and around Tulsa, the Foundation also provides assistance to non-sectarian charitable organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life throughout Oklahoma.