Samuel Caldwell
About
Samuel Caldwell, MBA, serves as Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Equity and Chief Diversity Officer.
He joined the University’s Division of Inclusive Excellence in 2019, was named Interim Chief Diversity Officer in 2020, and was appointed Chief Diversity Officer in 2021.
During that time, the Division of Inclusive Excellence has developed and enhanced training and deepened collaborative relationships with campus partners to effectively serve the campus community in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and further a culture that values diversity and embraces equity and inclusion.
Under his leadership, the University at Albany has been cited for its work in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion, including the INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), and the Seal of Excelencia (2022). He is a past board member of the Association for Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) and immediate past chair of the APLU’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Sam has deep experience as a corporate professional in project management, problem-solving, issue resolution, lobbying, and risk mitigation. He has held positions of increasing scope and responsibility in sales, customer care, policy, government affairs, and operations, including profit/loss accountability. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, having led multidisciplinary teams on process improvement initiatives resulting in over $9 million in financial benefits.
Sam served honorably in the United States Coast Guard Reserves, most recently at the rank of Lieutenant.
His community and civic engagement include past board service with the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, Bethlehem (NY) Chamber of Commerce, Senior Services of Albany, Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region, and current board member of the Capital District YMCA. He is a life member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Sam holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Rutgers University and an MBA from Strayer University. He has also completed programs with the Rutgers Center for Management Development and the Center for Creative Leadership, and earned certificates in diversity and inclusion from Cornell University and the University of South Florida.