Samantha Lara

Director of Community Engagement & Belonging

Samantha (she/her) serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Belonging at Hartwick College. She oversees the DIB Advocate Program. With a hands-on approach, Samantha focuses on empowering communities and creating resilient, inclusive frameworks tailored to the unique needs of individuals and groups, helping to build institutional capacity for diversity and belonging.
Samantha holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is deeply committed to strategic planning, relationship-building, and advocacy, ensuring that every initiative she supports is both impactful and sustainable.

As an educator, Samantha’s teaching portfolio includes courses like FLP 104 – Building Sexual Wellness, WELL 201 – Relax and Restore (Socioemotional Wellness), SOCI 115 – Intro to Social Work, and SCIE 150 – Inclusive Group Facilitation and Study Group Leadership.

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