Sammie brings years of experience as an entrepreneur and leader focused on bringing innovation, human-centered design, and compassion to care for the most vulnerable individuals. Before joining Community Forward SF, Sammie co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer at HandUp, a fundraising platform for human service nonprofits that scaled across the United States. Sammie’s initial passion for designing programs to alleviate poverty started in West Africa, where she co-founded and served as Executive Director for Lumana, a microfinance organization in Ghana. She frequently speaks at social good events such as TEDx and the National Nonprofit Technology conference. Sammie earned a bachelor’s degree in business entrepreneurship from the University of Washington. When not at work, Sammie spends time with her son, Rayner, loves being outdoors, teaching or practicing yoga, and bringing her community together around food.