Samantha Sanderson

Samantha Sanderson currently lives in Oakland, CA with her husband Charlie Cammack.  They have two young adult children, Walker and Clover Cammack.

She was born in Napa, CA and grew up mostly in Boulder, CO.  She received a BA degree in English Literature from Kenyon College in 1991, and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 1997. She moved back to the Bay Area in 1997 and worked for several years as a High School Counselor at Marin Academy in San Rafael, CA.

When her first child was born in 2001, she was able to stay at home to raise him along with her second son born in 2005. While her kids were young she was very active on the Board of Trustees and Parent Association (as Secretary, Vice President and President) of their school, St. Paul’s Episcopal School. She also served for ten years on the Board of River of Words, serving as Board President for three years, during which time she helped navigate the transition of the organization from an independent 501C3 to a vital program of St. Mary’s College in Lafayette, CA.  She currently serves on the Board of Naropa University in Boulder (2017).

Several years ago she fulfilled a long-time wish and began working in an independent bookstore. She loves meeting authors, discussing literature, and putting amazing books in the hands of passionate readers.  She also pursues many artistic interests including painting, clay and fiber arts. Samantha also loves films of all kinds and is thrilled to lend whatever support she can to the incredible work done by the team at Optimist!