Sam Whiting is advancement director for institutional and corporate partnerships. Prior to STEM Next, Sam was western region director of Boeing Global Engagement for The Boeing Company, responsible for developing and executing philanthropy and community engagement strategies across the western US. He also led STEM education and workforce strategies enterprise-wide, including creating Boeing’s signature STEM education program, FUTURE U.
Previously, Sam served as president and CEO of Thrive Washington, a public-private partnership building a comprehensive, high-quality early learning system for every child and family in Washington State. He served as director of Foundation Projects for Seattle Foundation, focusing on grantmaking, system building and coalition-building. Sam has also directed statewide early childhood and literacy programs at Children’s Home Society of Washington and Page Ahead, a children’s literacy nonprofit, and worked in the arts and human services for almost two decades.
A lifelong volunteer, Sam has served on the boards of many community organizations, including (currently) TreePeople, a Los Angeles-based environmental nonprofit. Sam completed his doctoral coursework in educational leadership and holds a master’s in nonprofit leadership from Seattle University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston.