Born in Lafayette, Indiana, Sam moved with his parents to Virginia at the age of three. There, he formed a love of school, sports, and Jesus at a young age. Two weeks before his seventh grade year began, his father's job brought him to Savannah in West Tennessee. As a youth, he attended World Youth Day in Denver and served as the president of his high school youth group and as Diocesan Youth Rep.
He has a Bachelors Degree in psychology from Tennessee Technological University and a Masters in social psychology and counseling from Ball State University. His professional experience run the gamut of student affairs from Intramural Sports Coordinator to Campus Minister to Dean of Students.
He is a self-proclaimed Ignatian Spirituality enthusiast and lover of basketball, theater, and notebooks. He is married to his wife, Jessica, with whom he has three children, Augustine born in May 2015, Gabriel born in October 2016, and Bernadette born in August 2018.
He feels called to help young people find their vocation in life. Nothing makes him happier than students stopping by his office to talk about the direction their life is going and asking for ways they might discern how God is calling them uniquely to follow His will for their lives.