Sam Prater (he/him)

Board Chair

Sam is the Founder & Executive Director of LA Room & Board. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Sam is the 12th born of 14 children. After dropping out of high school and attending community college, Sam went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree at Central Michigan University (FireUp Chips!), a Master's Degree from Fordham University (Go Rams!), and is completing his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from California State University, Northridge (Go Matadors!). With nearly 14 years of experience in higher education as a student affairs practitioner, most of his career has been built in Housing & Residential Education.

Sam is passionate about fostering student success in the context of housing and has developed a keen sense of the critically important growth & development that occurs at the intersection of living in communities where students also learn. Sam most recently worked within the Dean of Students office at California State University, Los Angeles where he managed the campus's SB-85 Basic Needs Initiatives (Housing & Food Insecurity and Emergency Needs Grants) as well as provided wrap-around services (health & wellness, academic, and emotional support) to students. In December 2018, Sam founded Los Angeles Room & Board, a LA-based non-profit whose mission is focused on ending college student hunger and homelessness and ensuring students success through college completion. Sam is passionate about travel, family, friends, and live music.

Sam is a member of the third cohort of the SJPLA Systems Change Accelerator.