Salma Samad

Salma Samad is the Southern Poverty Law Center’s director of major gifts and institutional giving, leading the organization’s engagement with private foundations and corporate donors.

Throughout her career, Samad has worked to secure resources that advance access to justice and protect human rights. She brings more than 15 years of experience in securing resources for mission-driven organizations, including many years working on human rights and public health issues domestically and internationally. Samad’s experience also includes policy analysis and advocacy as well as strategic partnerships with stakeholders in the public and private sectors.

Previously, Samad served as the director of private development at Internews, an international nonprofit organization that promotes freedom of the press and access to information for underserved communities. Earlier, she worked at Georgetown University Law Center, where she was the director of development at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, supporting a range of programs addressing health disparities and advancing health equity through policy and legal reform. Samad also previously served as a senior director at Aeras. At the global biotech nonprofit, she mobilized resources for technologies that prevent diseases affecting low-income communities.