Sameer has been a leader in college access and success for over a decade. Most recently, Sameer was a Senior Program Officer at the Joyce Foundation, where he led the philanthropy’s efforts on higher education. His portfolio focused on addressing racial and economic disparities in college access, including improving the longstanding racial disparities in access to public flagship universities, supporting graduation for community college students, supporting college access for rural students through regional public universities, and access for economically disadvantaged students at selective universities.
Prior to his work at Joyce, Sameer was an Associate Vice Chancellor at the City Colleges of Chicago, the system of seven community colleges that serves the City of Chicago. He led the Adult Education division, with a focus on helping adults who were learning English or getting their high school equivalency get access to college level coursework. He also was on the strategy team, helping the system improve its retention and graduation outcomes.
Sameer has also worked at Discovery Communications, the parent company of the Discovery Channel, and at the management consultancy McKinsey and Co.
He has been quoted by outlets including CNN, Politico, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, and Crain’s Chicago Business. He has testified before the House Education and Labor Committee.
