Emily Sams-Harris [she/her]

Rise on Boards | Cohort 9

Emily Sams-Harris is an intersectional feminist committed to community building and creating equitable spaces. She holds a Bachelors of Social Science in Conflict Studies and Human Rights and a Masters with Distinction in Gender, Policy and Inequalities from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Living as an international student in the United Kingdom taught her many cross-cultural skills and grew her feminist leadership skills. For as long as she can remember, Emily has been committed to serving her community by organizing advocacy teach ins, fundraisers and marches for social justice.

She is trained to be a Positive Space ambassador, supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ public servants and their allies. Throughout her life and career, Emily has won multiple awards, for which she feels deeply humbled, including Excellence in Policy Design for her employer through the Canadian federal government and Volunteer of the Year with a non-profit dedicated to supporting survivors of intimate partner violence.

Emily is also the survivor of a rare brain injury called Anti-NMDA autoimmune encephalitis, which impacts approximately 1 in 1.5 million people every year. Currently she lives in the unceded, unsurrendered territory known as Ottawa, Ontario. In her spare time, she enjoys embroidery and musical theatre.