. Samala

Activist, Artist, Athlete, Change agent, Concerned citizen, Connector, Environmentalist, Explorer, Investor, Producer, Social entrepreneur

The truth: There isn't a nutshell big enough. What usually gets published: C. M. Samala (known simply as Samala) is a seasoned social entrepreneur with expertise in culture, technology and community building. She is a creative and a technologist with financial acumen that believes in the powers of dance parties, socialized technologies, curiosity, and Hyphenated Americans. As founding executive director of 18MR.org, Samala and her team established America’s first national civil rights organization for Asian Pacific Americans in the digital era — building voice and power for the country’s fastest growing demographic through technology. Her work building 18MR.org has been featured at the White House and in major media outlets like Forbes, The New Yorker, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and the Guardian. Samala also co-founded one of the first global distribution networks for mobile art in 2008. The platform helped over 500 artists (including Shepard Fairey, Justin Bua, David Choe, and Apex) reach mobile devices in the United States, India, China, Russia, Eastern Europe, South & Central America, and the Middle East. Samala is an alumna of the Wharton, Annenberg and Design Schools of the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in Economics and Communications, and concentrations in Marketing, Management and Design. She was a member of The Story of Stuff Project’s founding team as Director of Online Strategy & Media, proudly served as Wiser.org’s Board Chair, and is a DJ holding down an decade-strong residency in San Francisco.

Investment, reciprocity, environmental justice, art, networks, civics, equity, analog sound.