Sam grew up on an island in Maine, spending most summers in his teens and early 20s on canoe expeditions in northern New England and the maritime provinces. He first joined HMI in 2007 as math faculty, teaching in Semesters 19 through 26, before returning in 2023 as Head of School. In the intervening years, Sam held a variety of teaching and leadership roles at schools in Montana, Maine, and Vermont, serving most recently as Executive Director of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, his alma mater. Outside of school, he enjoys mountain biking, backcountry snowboarding, and hunting for wild mushrooms. Sam volunteers on the finance committees of Lake County School District and the Association of Colorado Independent Schools, and serves as a team member and mission coordinator with Lake County Search and Rescue.