Samir Luther

Samir Luther uses data, systems and design to advance inclusion, and has been a leading advocate on transgender inclusion in the workplace.

At the Human Rights Campaign from 2004-10, he led the organization’s efforts to promote transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage: advocating for defining medically necessary care in accordance with the WPATH Standards of Care, incorporating coverage requirements into the Corporate Equality Index, and creating groundbreaking resources to help self-insured and fully-insured employers map out the path to achieving them. He also created a web platform for employers to track their performance on the Corporate Equality Index and an open library of sample policies and trainings, expanding HRC’s capacity to work with thousands of employers. Hundreds of corporate health insurance plans now cover transgender-related health care, compared to two in 2004.

At the Victory Institute, Samir directed leadership development programs for LGBT people in government, launching the Victory Congressional Internship and Fellowship, helping appoint more than 150 LGBT people to the Obama Administration through the Presidential Appointments Project, and expanding Victory’s training for LGBT people in government abroad with support from USAID.

After completing his MBA at MIT in 2015, Samir joined Capital One Bank as a digital product manager on account opening identity verification, leading the bank’s efforts to expand access to the unbanked (1 in 14 U.S. households have no access to a bank account) through its free digital checking account with ATMs in convenience stores across the country. He’s exploring ways to make identity verification a painless experience for transgender people.