Sam understands how communities build power. Drawing on years of campaign leadership and academic research, he helps organizations turn complex issues into movements that inspire people to act.
At True Blue, Sam leads campaign strategy and development for clients tackling some of today’s most pressing challenges, from healthcare policy, climate resilience, biodiversity, endangered species protection, and public lands conservation to public affairs and political advocacy. He has a knack for finding the story at the heart of an issue and transforming it into campaigns that earn attention, build trust, and inspire action.
Sam’s expertise spans campaign strategy, strategic communications, message development, audience research, earned media, influencer engagement, coalition building, and community mobilization. Whether developing an integrated advocacy campaign, crafting a communications strategy, building public support, or helping clients navigate policy challenges, Sam is a trusted thought partner known for connecting ideas across disciplines and turning strategy into results.
Before joining True Blue, Sam played a leadership role in the campaign to protect Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine and later helped safeguard one of the largest remaining undammed rivers in North America. Along the way, he taught Civic Engagement through the University of Alaska’s Center for Community Engagement and Learning and now serves as an adjunct professor of Public Interest Communication in the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications master’s program.
Sam holds a master’s degree from Syracuse University and a doctorate in Religious Studies from the University of Florida, where his research explored the intersection of storytelling, community values, and civic engagement.
Outside of work, Sam enjoys running, making music, and spending time at Spinster Abbott’s, the neighborhood bodega he and his wife, Liz, own in St. Augustine. If you’re in town, stop by—you just might find him behind the bar pouring beers, talking strategy, or insisting the gin and tonic is the right choice.
