Samantha is a multi-faceted and courageous leader, oftentimes referred to as the Swiss Army Knife of any group. She is able to draw from a wide variety of life experiences to solve any problem at hand and enjoys facing challenges with a positive, can-do attitude.

She has over 15 years of management experience in a variety of industries, including hotels, restaurants, marketing, and retail. She comes to us from Costco, with experience managing eight locations in four different states, including Colorado, California, Virginia, and Connecticut. She was responsible for the grand opening marketing efforts of 5 separate locations across the country. At Costco, she served as an Ambassador for Journeys, an organization designed to help women network and exchange information, develop professionally, and create healthier lives, while overcoming the challenges associated with working in a traditionally male-dominated industry.  Samantha has remained passionate in her quest to raise funds for Children's Miracle Network, to benefit specific Children's Hospitals across the country. Prior to her work with Costco, Samantha served as Catering Director for Goldman Sachs in NYC, and was responsible for the initial Training Headquarters relocation as well as the Cayman Island Disaster relocation project in 2004.

Samantha holds two Bachelors degrees from Virginia Tech in both Marketing Management and Hospitality & Tourism Management. At Virginia Tech, she served as an Editor at the Collegiate Times and continues to work on free-lance editorial projects. She was President of the Hospitality Managers Association and Vice President of the Marketing Managers Association. Samantha is a commissioned artist, and works with oil, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, and pencil. She is an enthusiastic gardener, yogi, snowboarder, rockhounder, and appreciates anything that involves being outdoors and celebrating nature.

Having moved 13 times in the past 10 years, Samantha now calls Connecticut home and is looking forward to helping build the Innovation EcoSystem here at Upward Hartford.

Favorite Hartford Restaurant:  Republic
Favorite Hartford Museum:  Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. I grew up near Washington DC and was able to visit/study at the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshhorn frequently. Art museums will continue to be an important part of my life and will continue to help me develop as an artist.
Best part/thing about Hartford:  Everyone knows everyone-- you don't see such an intimate work environment in larger cities
Favorite Hartford neighborhood:  I am going to have to say downtown (20 Church Street to be exact).
Favorite Coffee Place:  The Coffee Exchange in Colorado Springs, CO-- especially on snow days!
Favorite food:  Chevre, kalamata olives, old world sourdough paired with a robust red wine
Favorite musical or play:  Singin' In The Rain is my ultimate #1-- but I appreciate any Rodgers & Hammerstein Musical
Country to visit/want to: Patagonia
How do you take your coffee:  Black Cold Brew-- Lightly Sweet or Double Espresso-- Lightly sweet
Best vacation destination: I absolutely loved diving and hiking the hidden coast of Na'pali- Kauai, HI (where they filmed part of Jurassic Park).  Mostly because I love the idea of being stuck on Jurassic island-- it would be such an adrenaline rush!
Favorite artist/or type of music: I appreciate too many types of music to claim a favorite artist or type.  My favorite concert ever was Bob Seger with Joe Walsh in Denver, circa 2012.

Contact Samantha at samantha @upwardhartford.com