Sam graduated Phi Beta Kappa with High Honors from the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor’s in International Relations. After college, he embarked on a professional career spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. In 2012 he was a Fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, supporting the Africa Program in its investigation of barriers to investment in Sub-Sahara. In 2013 he worked on Capitol Hill, focusing on foreign policy with the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and on campaign finance and healthcare in the personal office of Congressman Matt Cartwright. From 2014-2016 Sam worked at DigitalGlobe, a leading provider of satellite imagery and geospatial analysis. He wrote reports forecasting religious extremism and demographic trends in North Africa and the Middle East, and established and oversaw GeoHIVE, an online platform to crowdsource geospatial data analysis. In 2016 Sam relocated to Greece to work in refugee service, leveraging two years of experience as a volunteer case worker with refugees resettled in the United States. For 16 months Sam managed the humanitarian portfolio of the Athens-based NGO, Organization Earth. He worked in three refugee camps, designing and executing emergency, educational, and integrative programs for refugees and asylums seekers. He also supported strategic planning, led monitoring and evaluation, and facilitated multi-sector partnerships.