Meet Samantha Funk

Samantha Funk is a Maine-based artist, Certified Leadership Gamemaster, and Program Manager in the nonprofit sector. Her areas of expertise include Creativity, Play, Game-Based Learning, Team Development, Transformational and Adaptive Leadership, Change Management, Consciousness, Emotional Intelligence, and Social Competence. Samantha has a BA in Contemporary Conceptual Sculpture and an MA in Leadership and Organizational Studies.

Samantha views leadership development as a creative practice that allows for self-awareness, growth, and emotional and social competence. She has been investigating the effects of creativity and play within roles of power, society, and the human psyche since 2010. Her research explores the intersection between creativity and leadership, bringing a comprehensive picture of the importance of permission-to-play and its effects on group dynamics, emotional intelligence, and practices in empathy. Specifically, Samantha combines the unconventional art of TRPGs and creativity within leadership development to increase leaders' potential and explore strategic decision-making, change management, teamwork, and fostering trusting relationships.