Sam is a data visualization analyst and longtime educator and activist who was elected to the Oakland Board of Education where he served from 2021 to 2025, including as Vice President for two years and President for his last year.

Sam has been the data lead for 11 years on the UC Compass project, which evaluates millions of student transcripts for their college eligibility, as they grew from serving 50 high schools to over 700 across California today. He has also worked on numerous local political campaigns, and volunteered with social change organizations and immigrant rights actions.

Previously, Sam taught for 13 years in Union City, Oakland and San Pablo, as well as serving for 7 years on the Board of Faith in Action East Bay, formerly Oakland Community Organizations (OCO).

Sam has an MS in Applied Mathematics from Cal State East Bay, and is fluent in Spanish.