Sam Shriver

Sam is a writer, outdoor guide and flip-phone advocate. Throughout his career as a communicator, from a translator and advertiser in China, to environmental policy strategist in Colorado, he has learned both the challenges and value of fostering understanding across social divides.

Before leaving home at a young age to study and work abroad, Sam spent many of his formative years as a coach and volunteer with Special Olympics Maryland. This time was an invaluable education in expanding the definitions of competition and play. With SO, he learned that the purpose of sport could be much more than winning and losing. While these were means to an end, sports could be about connection and growth. Put another way, you’ve never seen joy like the smile on a young athlete's face when they step on the court – it’s worth a million medals; and you only have to see it once to become a lifelong advocate for unified sports.

Sam’s current writing and guiding focuses on the challenge of modern identity development in a time of disconnection. He is on a path to determine the most effective spaces and ways to develop conversations for men to mark life transitions with prosocial values that contribute to a community in a time of expanded identity.