Sam Taylor is a member of the Hopi Tribe from Arizona and currently serves as the Community Development Manager in NAYA’s Community Development Department. He first joined NAYA in fall 2022 in the Housing and Stabilization Services Department before recently transitioning into Community Development. After 12 years of supporting the Urban Native community through housing-focused work, Sam’s new role allows him to support economic and community development in NE Portland while continuing to serve and strengthen the local community.
Sam’s work also extends to the national level, where he collaborates on planning committees focused on addressing the housing crisis across the country. He is widely recognized as an effective advocate in efforts to combat homelessness among Native American communities.
His community involvement has included serving as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Arizona; Board Vice President of the Omauw Resource Center; Board Member for Arizona Leading for Change and the Hopi Education Endowment Fund; Race Director for two long-standing Hopi race events, the Louis Tewanima Footrace and the Paatuwaqatsi “Water Is Life” Ultra Marathon; Community Advisory Board Member for the Hopi Substance Abuse Prevention Center; and advocate for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples movement.
On a personal level, Sam is an avid outdoor enthusiast in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past year, he has taken up mountaineering, rock climbing, snowshoeing, and hiking various trails. Being in nature brings him a sense of vitality and connection to the world around him.