Lauren Sampson

Lauren Sampson (she/her) joins GLAAD as Chief Development Officer and brings over sixteen years of development and donor-relations experience to the organization.

She previously served as Deputy Chief Development Officer at the Innocence Project, whose mission is to fight for fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice, free the innocent, and prevent wrongful convictions. In her role, Sampson co-led the Development Department in a period of unprecedented growth and recognition on the national stage. She developed the vision, strategy, and direction of the organization’s fundraising operations and oversaw institutional funding, planned giving, digital fundraising, development operations and individual giving. She also created and led the Innocence Project's corporate giving and partnership

program.

Sampson’s commitment to social justice and criminal legal reform is deeply felt and long-standing. Prior to the Innocence Project, she served as Vice-President of Development and External Relations for the City Bar Fund at the New York City Bar Association, where she created and implemented strategic and tactical plans for raising funds aimed at engaging and supporting the legal profession in advancing social justice. She also previously held fundraising positions at Cardozo School of Law, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and Baruch College. Sampson holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York.