Samantha Perez, Ph.D.

Samantha Perez joined ESG in 2021 as an Associate Director, and supports a diverse portfolio of initiatives aimed at ensuring that K-12 and postsecondary students complete their education equipped with the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to be successful in the labor market. Notably, Samantha led the development of Cultivating Connections, ESG’s social capital framework and suite of resources designed to support state and local integration of social capital development into college and career pathways. In this work, she has convened communities of practice for pathways leaders and provided direct technical assistance and coaching to more than a dozen communities and organizations across the U.S. Samantha also lends her leadership to several multi-year pathways initiatives, including Launch and TalentReady, coaching leaders as they set ambitious goals and convening cross-sector networks to collectively tackle challenges to building strong pathways.

Prior to joining ESG, Samantha was the Vice President of Education Initiatives at the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce where she served on the strategic leadership team for the Academies of Nashville, a nationally-recognized career academy model. She also led the first year of implementation of the New Skills Ready grant, a 5-year, $7 million investment from JP Morgan Chase to design, build, and transform career pathways from high school to employer in high-wage, high-demand sectors.

Samantha is a Sociology triple threat with a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz and her Master’s and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.

Why are you in this work?

Despite the persistent challenges and inequities within the American system, I still believe in the potential of education to transform families and communities. When an individual can access, navigate, and complete a high-quality college and career pathway, they are positioned to overcome obstacles to economic mobility and begin to build the kind of wealth that provides long-term safety and security.

Why ESG?

ESG leads with optimism and integrity, at a time when the challenges in education often feel overwhelming and insurmountable. As a team, we take a great deal of pride in the trust and relationships we’ve built across the entire educational ecosystem, whether that’s with philanthropic organizations or local-level leaders working directly with students. Change moves at the speed of trust and I’ve seen how hard our team works to earn and keep the confidence our clients and partners place in us.