Molli Barnes

Molli Barnes is the SVP of People at Sama. Molli has over fifteen years of experience in human resources and has held leadership positions at both PATH and People for Puget Sound.

Barnes began their career as a human resources director at People for Puget Sound. In this role, they were responsible for the overall management of the human resources department. Molli helped develop company-wide policies and procedures and worked closely with the executive team to ensure that the company was in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

In 2007, Barnes was recruited by PATH to serve as their Director of Global Talent Acquisition. In this role, they were responsible for leading a team of recruiters who were responsible for sourcing and hiring candidates for PATH's global operations. Molli successfully reduced time-to-hire by 40% and increased hiring manager satisfaction by 34%.

In 2011, Barnes was promoted to Chief People Officer. In this role, they served on the executive team and led a team of over 40 HR professionals across Africa, Asia, and the United States. Together, they empowered PATH's people to turn research into innovation and problems into plans. Barnes helped develop the industry-leading strategy, PATH 2025, and launched and successfully led the global DEI strategy. Molli also partnered with the Board of Directors to hire a new CEO.

Barnes joined Sama in January of 2022 as their SVP of People. In this role, they are responsible for leading the company's HR function and developing and implementing people strategies that support the company's business objectives.

Molli Barnes completed their undergraduate degree at the University of Washington in Romance Language and Literature. Molli then attended Seattle Prepatory for their post-secondary education.

Their manager is Wendy Gonzalez, CEO. They are on a team with Tim Yandel - VP, Global Sales, Theodore Caravelas - Director, Global IT, and Carolyne Komen - Program Director, Nairobi.