Hi! I'm Sam.

[pronouns: he • him • his]

I use quantitative methods and data visualization to investigate inequities in institutions and envision a more just future. I am especially interested in how the data-fication of government affects how decisions are made, who gets to make them, and how that impacts equitable policy creation. Currently, I am the data science lead at the Small Business Administration where I work on (1) quantitative policy analysis and program evaluation to advance the interests of small and socio and economically disadvantaged small businesses, (2) strategic improvements to data infrastructure in the SBA Office of Government Contracting and Business Development, and (3) data literacy of my fellow public servants.

Previously, I was a graduate student in psychology at the University of Virginia where I studied data science methods to investigate social phenomena. I was also the first data fellow at the Center for The Redress of Inequity through Community-Engaged Scholarship at UVA where I helped start the democratization of data group. I also worked closely with the UVA Hospital Division of Infectious Disease on actionable research around equitable health policy.

Before that, I have researched discriminatory health insurance practices in drug coverage for People Living with HIV alongside the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, spent time as a Fulbright Scholar with the University of Rwanda working on an equity profile for the SDGs, and investigated Colorado's jail record keeping practices, helping spur the state's new Jail Data Capacity Bill.

I highly value kindness, creativity, awareness, and interdisciplinarity, both in others and in myself. So whether im in the kitchen finding new baking substitutes, restoring an old piece of furniture, climbing volcanoes in Eastern Africa, or discovering beautiful spaces to have long conversations with good friends, I believe in intentionally setting aside time and space to cultivate humility by realizing the magnitude of things I still want to learn about our world. Some other nouns besides Sam that I use to describe myself are data advocate, violinist, brother, son, and Christian. I hold undergraduate degrees in both Religious Studies and Statistics and I enjoy exploring the implications of faith systems on activism.

Thank you for visiting me here! Please contact me if you would like to collaborate or just chat about the world.