Samantha came to IYF in 2012 with 5 years experience in international and domestic community development projects. Her key areas of interest include gender mainstreaming, youth empowerment, community development, political participation, advocacy, and economic development. Prior to joining IYF, Samantha managed a portfolio containing 3.5 million in annual USAID-funded projects implemented in Central American, Kenya, Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and spanning youth programming, health, governance, international trade, food security and livelihoods for NCBA CLUSA International. Samantha also has experience in domestic workforce development and health programs in addition to significant experience in Latin America. Samantha holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Development and Latin American studies from the American University (2005). She also earned her Master’s Degree (MA, 2009) from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Samantha speaks Spanish and Portuguese and has traveled to 17 countries.