Samara Hakim, JD

Samara is an international culture and inclusion thought leader, data strategist, speaker, writer, and facilitator. For over a decade, Samara has equipped leaders with the cultural intelligence to work with those who are different, by mitigating bias and integrating culture into business metrics.  She has over 10 years of experience in communication and conflict management, diversity and inclusion, implicit bias impact, and culture transformation. Samara is a dynamic speaker that engages people to think beyond their comfort zone and to work across differences. She draws on a range of experiences including her work across cultures, acculturation in the U.S., her legal career, and her personal background. 

Samara has worked on projects for Fortune 500 and 100 companies, including culture transformation and integration, corporate initiatives, inclusive leadership, gender culture empowerment, global marketing and sales, team-building, and inclusive procurement. She has facilitated workshops in multiple languages, at various levels in the organization, and for multiple industries, including for-profit and non-profit organizations, start-ups, universities, community colleges, and schools. Workshops have been at San Diego Gas & Electric Co., American Honda, Qualcomm, BD (previously Carefusion), San Diego County District Attorney's Office, Anheuser Busch, iRobot, Irvine Co., Thales USA, Constellation Brands, GSD&M, UCSD, ASU, SDSU, MAAC, Stanford University, American University of Beirut, and Rady's School of Management, among others. 

Samara thrives on working with people from all walks of life. She was honored with the 2018 Women of Excellence Entrepreneur Award by Diversity Professional Magazine and the American Honda Premier Partner Award. She was nominated for San Diego’s 2019 Top Tech Award and San Diego Woman’s Magazine Women of Distinction feature. 

Samara is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council. She is a consultant and instructor for Stella Labs, an accelerator for women entrepreneurs. She is a curator for Humankind San Diego, a mentor in the Aztec Mentor Program at SDSU and in Rising Women Leaders of San Diego. Samara is a member of Connected Women of Influence, a member of World Peace through Law, and a steering committee member for LebNet San Diego, an organization serving professionals of Lebanese heritage. She was a lead consultant and trainer for the National Conflict Resolution Center and the Education Committee Chair for the San Diego Diversity Council. Prior to founding CulturGrit (fka The Culture Factor, LLC), Samara was Director of Operations and Senior Advisor at a firm later acquired by Ernst and Young.

Samara’s work has been copyrighted, and she has been featured in a book on global leadership and in several media outlets. She has been a Keynote speaker, guest lecturer or speaker at Rady School of Management, The University of Notre Dame, SCORE, SDSU, USD, California Public Utilities Commission En Banc, and Internations, among others. 

Among her certifications, Samara holds an Advanced Certificate in Intercultural Management from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctor from the University of Oregon School of Law. She received her BA in History and BA in Political Science from the University of Portland. 

Samara grew up in Lebanon. She has traveled extensively and is fluent in French, Arabic, and English, and conversational in Spanish.