Sam Marquardt joined McKnight in July 2009 as program assistant with the Environment program. In subsequent years they held similar roles with the Mississippi River and Midwest Climate & Energy programs, before moving to a program and grants associate role with the Climate team. In their current position as senior program and grants associate (since January 2023), Sam supports the Neuroscience program and McKnight’s Other Grantmaking areas and administers the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience grantmaking database, maintaining key relationships and moving funds to support our grantee partners, all with the help of a robust spreadsheet. During their tenure, Sam has enjoyed connecting with grantees working on varied issues in diverse communities and is excited about the new directions and energy at McKnight.
Sam 致力于解决紧迫的社会和环境正义问题，包括水质、可持续农业、气候变化、土地主权和母语振兴。在加入 McKnight 之前，Sam 作为 Organic Alliance 的办公室经理开发并管理了一个庞大的 FileMaker Pro 数据库。这些数据库知识和经验使他们进入慈善事业，成为 Grotto Foundation 的赠款经理，他们还在那里管理美国印第安家庭赋权计划的材料。 Sam 拥有 Macalester College 的人类学和女性研究学位。
在报税季，Sam 自愿与 Prepare + Prosper 一起准备和审查纳税申报表。山姆喜欢好的形式。工作之余，Sam 喜欢在他们的城市农庄和社区花园里园艺，共同主持非正式的集体民歌，并与朋友和家人共度时光，包括他们的妻子和可爱的狗。