Samantha Lankford

Samantha Lankford has a diverse work experience spanning multiple industries and roles. Samantha currently serves as the Executive Director of Entrepreneur Success at The Lonely Entrepreneur, where they oversee the Lonely Entrepreneur Learning Community. Prior to joining The Lonely Entrepreneur, Samantha worked as a Business & Leadership Development Consultant at LeaderSoul Consulting, where they assessed the needs of startups, businesses, non-profits, and academia globally. Samantha also has experience in academia, having worked at various universities. At Cameron University, Samantha served as the Director of the Center for Emerging Tech. & Entrepreneurial Studies (CETES) and Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Samantha also worked as the Director of the Mercer Innovation Center and a Visiting Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Mercer University. Additionally, Samantha was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurial Business Writing at Penn State University and an Instructor/Graduate Teaching Fellow at The University of North Carolina. Earlier in their career, they worked as a Textbook and Curriculum Developer at Evia Learning, Inc. and held roles in rights and contracts at UNC Press and La Nouvelle Agence. Samantha also gained experience as an Event Manager/Executive Assistant at Executive Development Associates, Inc. throughout college.

Samantha Lankford's education history begins with their high school education at Chariton High School, where they obtained their diploma from 1992 to 1996. Following that, they attended Beaumont Leys School from 1995 to 1996, where they studied Mathematics and English. Samantha then pursued their undergraduate studies at the University of Iowa from 1996 to 2000, completing their Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. Samantha continued their education at The University of Freiburg from 1999 to 2004, where they obtained a Bachelor's degree equivalent called BA (equivalent). Samantha then enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a Master of Arts (MA) degree from 2006 to 2008. In the same year, they briefly attended Middlebury College for their French School studies. Finally, Samantha pursued their PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2008 to 2013. Currently, they are completing their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Colorado State University, with an expected completion date of 2021.