Samm Smith
NWSEO Director of Communications

• B.S. - Journalism, Film Studies - University of Massachusetts Amherst

• M.S -  Labor Studies (2024) - University of Massachusetts Amherst

​

An award-winning digital strategist, writer, graphic designer, and photographer, Samm brings wide-ranging communications expertise and a passion for the labor movement.

​

Prior to joining the NWSEO team, Samm worked in the higher education sphere for ten years, most recently as the Director of Content Strategy for the University of Massachusetts Amherst. At UMass, Samm managed institutional social media accounts with more than 500,000 followers from top to bottom, writing, photographing, and filming content, as well as serving on the Emergency Operations Team to handle crisis communications. Her most recent work included the creation of the university’s campus-wide content calendar, as well as the strategic overhaul of all content that appeared on the university’s homepage.

​

It was at UMass that Samm first became a rank-and-file member of a union, the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA); she held a variety of roles in her local, the Professional Staff Union, serving as a member of the bargaining committee and Sick Leave Bank board, a departmental delegate to represent the local at annual meetings, and as grievance officer. This first-hand experience in the labor movement propelled Samm to continue her education in the Union Leadership and Activism (ULA) graduate program at UMass, where she continues to work toward a masters degree in labor studies.