Bio
Sam Dwyer was born in Flathead Valley in northwestern Montana. Growing up in the woods (for many years, her family lived miles from the nearest town without electricity), her immersion in the natural environment shaped her identity. Passionate about working for a better world through civic engagement, whether in education, the environmental sector, or arts and humanities, she now travels the world while remaining deeply connected to her home in Montana.
Resume
Education
Teaching Degree Course
Moreland University
May 2018
Master of Arts, Literature
The University of Montana
December 2010
Bachelor of Arts, Literature + Minor, Studio Art
The University of Montana
May 2007
Associate of Arts + Associate of Sciences
Flathead Valley Community College
May 2005
Select Work Experience
Communications Manager
THE CLARK FORK COALITION
Missoula, Montana
2021–2024
Created and managed communications including website redesign, newsletters, and social media, and print materials for nonprofit dedicated to restoring and protecting the Clark Fork River watershed. Wrote articles and press releases to tell stories of watershed health restoration and protection projects.
Program Officer
HUMANITIES MONTANA
Missoula, Montana
2011–2016 + 2018–2021
Managed and developed public humanities programs to serve diverse communities across Montana.
Edited monthly newsletters, designed graphics for public programs, and produced and edited video content. Wrote grants and prepared reports to national and federal agencies.
Teacher, Library Assistant
THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF MUSCAT
Muscat, Oman
2016–2018
Taught high school ceramics courses using National Core Arts Standards and International Society for Technology in Education standards.
Assisted in the middle school library, organizing our collection and digital records. Advised yearbook students, teaching design skills and creating the middle school yearbook.
Office Manager
CLARK FORK SCHOOL
Missoula, MT
2010–2011
Managed day-to-day operations of nonprofit school, including creating weekly and monthly newsletters and maintaining website. Supervised after-school care program staff.Trainings + Conferences
- Attendee at Adobe MAX Conference, Los Angeles, California, October 9-13, 2023
- Participant in “Adaptive Leadership for an Inclusive Organization” by Big Sky SHRM, November 10, 2022
- Participant in “Blackfoot River Writers Workshop with Chris LaTray,” Freeflow Institute, Missoula, Montana, June 18-21, 2022
- Participant in racial equity audit led by Widerstand Consulting and staff lead for continuing organization DEI work, Missoula, Montana, September 2019
- Co-presenter for “DIY Humanities Toolkits for the Adventurous,” outdoor and environmental humanities-based programs at the National Humanities Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, November 7, 2019
- Participant at the American Library Association Annual Conference, focused on media literacy; diversity, inclusion, and race; and DIY and design thinking. Washington, D.C., June 2019
- Attendee of Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools Winter Training Institute, focused on National Core Arts Standards, Muscat, Oman, January 26-27, 2018
- Facilitator at Hometown Humanities-Dillon Community Conversation, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Water,” Dillon, MT, January 30, 2014
- Participant at the National Summit on Meaning of Service, Illinois Humanities Council, August 3–5, 2012
- Presenter at Graduate Student and Faculty Research Conference, UM, “Selfish Genes and Darker Purposes in King Lear” April 24, 2010
Activities + Community Service
Volunteering is an important part of engaging in our communities. As an artist, Sam has donated work to the Zootown Arts Community Center auction fundraiser, OpenAIR auction fundraiser, and the Missoula Clay Studio’s annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Missoula Food Bank each year. At the International School of Muscat, she helped run an Empty Bowls fundraiser with proceeds going to a global organization fighting hunger. She has also volunteered as a judge for the Missoula Public Library writing contest and as a peer reviewer for for the American Library Association’s Great Stories Club Hack the Feed: Media, Resistance, Revolution.
SamStudioS 