As Director of Foundation Relations, Sam stewards relations with foundation partners and grows investment in GFN and its food bank members. Sam brings nearly 15 years of experience in international and community development. Prior to GFN, Sam worked with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for nine years, most recently as Senior Advisor for Donor Engagement, specializing in foundation and corporate partners, leading the capture of more than $100 million in foundation grant funding. Sam also served in various roles with CRS across Ukraine, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Egypt—and supported emergency response efforts in Greece and the Balkans. With CRS, Sam has specialized in emergency response and recovery programming, food security and livelihoods, and capacity strengthening of local partners. Before joining CRS, Sam accompanied threatened communities in the Palestinian territories, documenting human rights abuses and co-developing advocacy strategies. Sam holds a Master of Arts in peacebuilding from the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute, and Bachelor of Arts in sociology & philosophy from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Sam is proud dad of two adventurous children, and you can usually find him exploring the outdoors and cycling with his family.
