Samantha Berlus

Department: Community Engagement
Email: [email protected]

Biography:

Samantha Berlus joined MAPC as a Community Engagement Specialist in April 2024. In her role, she hopes to empower marginalized communities to be well informed and confident participants in regional planning processes.

Prior to joining MAPC, Samantha was a Harvard Kennedy School of Government Rappaport research fellow, focusing her research and policy interests in supporting Governor Healey’s Advisory Council on Black Empowerment, where she helped draft a policy memo to address the concerns of Governor Healey’s Black constituents statewide. Additionally, she interned at the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), contributing in the creation of a ‘Policy Academy’ training program, ensuring that anti-racist initiatives are incorporated in DTA’s training curriculums for its new hires.

Samantha earned her undergraduate degree from Suffolk University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Law & Public Policy and a minor in Public Relations. She also earned a Master’s of Public Policy (MPP) degree from The Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, with a concentration in Economic and Racial Equity.

Areas of expertise: immigration policy, community organizing, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices, anti-racism and community advocacy initiatives.