Samantha Salazar serves as the Clean Energy Equity Fellow at the Center for Civic Policy. Samantha was born in Denver, Colorado and grew up in Arizona and Gallup, New Mexico where she developed a strong sense of environmental consciousness after learning about the Church Rock Uranium Spill only four miles away from where her family lives. Her family is rooted in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, where they have farmed for five generations which also developed her love for the outdoors and the protection of the environment.
In 2016 Samantha moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico for higher education at the University of New Mexico. She received her dual bachelors of science in Environmental Studies (Geography) and Evolutionary Anthropology in 2020. She continued her education after being accepted into the National and Global Security Policy Institute at the University of New Mexico focusing on energy security especially in New Mexico because of its deep history of natural resources, energy and public health issues and graduated in 2022. Simultaneously, while working for CCP, Samantha serves as an Army Reserve Officer at Kirtland AFB.
Samantha lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her fiancee Nick and her cocker spaniel Lola. In her free time she enjoys doing yoga and playing ultimate frisbee.