Board Member
Sam’s appreciation for the natural environment began as an adolescent, where he was consistently exposed to local produce, gardening, and trekking. Raised by two chefs in Wisconsin who enjoyed summer road trips out West, Sam spent most of his childhood either outdoors or in the kitchen. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2011, Sam relocated to the Bay Area as a Teach for America corps member. After four years as a highschool STEM teacher, Sam began his career in People & Organizational Effectiveness at Google where his first role focused on increasing representation of historically under-represented minorities in Tech. Currently, Sam is the Head of People at Gem where he’s responsible for Talent Management, DEI, Employee Engagement, Recruiting, and other HR functions. Sam uses he/him pronouns and lives in San Francisco with his partner Jeff. Sam enjoys long-distance running, mushroom foraging, and practicing mindfulness.