Retired CEO, InterAction
For 15 years Sam has worked with the senior leadership of a dozen U.N. agencies, often on a weekly basis, to help shape our collective global humanitarian action and practice. In this role, and through many field visits and work at the U.N., he have gained a deep personal appreciation of the operational and political role that the U.N. plays in addressing the often-dire needs of the world’s most vulnerable people.As he steps down from his current role at InterAction in 2023, Sam wishes to remain engaged in a mission that has motivated him for so many years. As a convener and bridge builder he hopes to be of assistance to the NCA-UNA team.
Since 2006, Sam has served as President & CEO of InterAction, the nation’s largest U.S. alliance of international NGOs focused on people around the world. At InterAction, he strengthened the impact and collective voice of the U.S. NGO sector and lead its engagement on a wide range of policy and programs with the highest levels of the U.N., multilaterals, governments, philanthropies, private sector, and civil society.
Previously Sam served as CEO of Plan International USA (1994-2006), and on the executive leadership of Plan International, a large global child rights NGO. In 2016, he was a resident policy fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center.
Sam currently serves as Vice Chair of the Van Leer Foundations; Principal on the U.N. Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC); executive board, Global Executive Leadership Initiative at the U.N.; Vice Chair of Forus; Advisory Board member at the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies; Board secretary of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy; and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
