Together with his wife Donna and two kids, Sam first came to MDI from Northern Virginia on a family vacation in the late 1980s. It was meant to be a one-time thing, but they came back the next year and the year after that and every year thereafter. In 2017, after retirement, they began the transition to full-time Mainers. Sam is an avid hiker, kayaker, a less-than-stellar golfer and harmonica player, and an enthusiastic grandfather of three.

Before retiring, Sam spent ten years working on Capitol Hill, including a stint as staff director of the House Subcommittee on Oceanography. Then, thanks to an incredibly supportive wife, he went back to school, earned a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and spent his final 20 years of employment providing mental health services in a 600-bed county jail.

I began serving meals at Open Table MDI about 5 years ago and have continued doing so ever since. As someone from away, I am keenly appreciative of the opportunity Open Table MDI provides to create community. Tuesday night is always the highlight of my week.