Shambulia Gadsden Sams

Shambulia Gadsden Sams (she/her/hers) is the creator and leader of WCAPS HBCU Connection, an initiative aimed at creating inclusive and diverse pathways for HBCUs and the HBCU community in global society. For more than 15 years, Shambulia has advocated for policy reform, led grassroots sustainable development, and managed government relations internationally and domestically. She actively creates innovative spaces where culture, policy, and creativity positively impact social change.

Shambulia is a Policy Resident at Pink Cornrows, a global public policy, communications and social impact equity firm. She’s a founding member of the #SheWoke Committee, where she was involved in the creation of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, the first of more than 400 congressional caucuses and member organizations to prioritize this demographic. She served as a commissioner on the Vermont Commission on Women, appointed by Governor Peter Shumlin. First Black American and youngest appointee in the Commission's 50-year history; interim executive director of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women); and public policy specialist for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

She serves on the Advisory Board of Girl Security, the OTTA Foundation - Board of Governors: Policy, Advocacy, & Social Responsibility Chair, and as the Program Officer, Political Strategy at HBCU Collective.

In addition to being an AmeriCorps alumna, she is a Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) - Mombasa, Kenya alumna, and she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Shambulia received her M.A. degree in Sustainable Development, with a concentration in Policy Analysis and Advocacy from SIT Graduate Institute, her B.A. degree in International Relations, with a minor in Political Science from Shaw University an HBCU in Raleigh, NC, and her A.A. degree in Ethnic Studies, African American Emphasis from Sacramento City College. She's from California (East Oakland x South Sacramento).