Samantha Happ (she/her) is the Network Director of Hawai'i Green Growth and Managing Director of the Local2030 Islands Network. Sam is a sustainable development practitioner with lived and working experience across the Pacific and Southeast Asia, specializing in local and community-based planning, strategy, policy, and programming. Prior to joining HGG and Local2030, Sam worked on Strategic Foresight with UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific on projects related to systems transformation, inclusive futures, anticipatory risk governance, and design thinking. Previously, she worked at UNDP Headquarters in New York on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) policy, later joining the Inclusive Growth portfolio on the COVID-19 Socio-Economic Recovery in LDCs, MICs, and SIDS. Her most impactful role was that of a high-school teacher, and she continues to work with young people in her Board capacities and volunteer roles. Samantha holds a MPA from Columbia University and Bachelor’s degrees in political science, Intercultural Studies, and Advocacy and Social Change.

Contact: samantha@hawaiigreengrowth.org