Greenlink Analytics Announces Promotion of Samantha Houck to Interim Director of Community Initiatives

Atlanta, GA – Greenlink Analytics is pleased to announce the promotion of Samantha Houck to Interim Director of Community Initiatives, effective immediately.

Since joining Greenlink Analytics in September 2022, Samantha has demonstrated exceptional leadership in product management, stakeholder engagement, and community-centered research. In her new role, she will oversee Greenlink's social science department, guiding participatory research and community-driven policy processes that center communities disproportionately burdened by the climate crisis.

For over 2 years, Samantha has overseen the Greenlink Equity Map (GEM), which has grown to over 700 members and 250 organizations, establishing itself as a vital tool for climate justice decision-making. She has successfully coordinated cross-functional teams including data scientists, product designers, and marketing staff on initiatives that resulted in impactful workshops, publications, and platform enhancements. She has been a critical partner in implementing Greenlink’s Listening Tour ethos; she has conducted 105 qualitative interviews testing 45 hypotheses, ensuring that community voices drive GEM's ongoing development.

"Samantha's ability to bridge technical product development with authentic community engagement has been invaluable to Greenlink," said Matt Cox, CEO of Greenlink Analytics. "Her commitment to participatory research methods and her skill in translating community insights into actionable data tools make her the ideal person to lead our Community Team."

A detail-oriented manager with over 10 years of experience in research, project management, and communication, Samantha brings strengths in stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and effective decision-making. She holds a Master of International Affairs focused on Environment, Energy, and Health from UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy, where her capstone work examined ESG trends and she created projects to engage K-12 students on climate issues, as well as highlight Indigenous history and work.

Samantha's recent work includes leading participatory mapping and mixed-data analysis for the Department of Energy-funded Supporting Equitable Building Performance Standards initiative across nine U.S. jurisdictions, and supporting research on the City of Atlanta's Weatherization Pilot Program, where she studied utility burden and housing instability among renters.

Her research has been published in Energy Research & Social Science, and she is a co-author of multiple Greenlink Analytics reports, including the WeatheRISE ATL Pilot Project Report. Samantha serves on the Community Climate Shift Steering Committee and the Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education Board of Directors. She has also been recognized as a Rising Leader Fellow by Justice Outside and a BIG HART Fellow by the University of Washington.

Please join us in congratulating Samantha on this well-deserved promotion.

About Greenlink Analytics: Greenlink Analytics is dedicated to advancing clean energy and climate justice through rigorous research, innovative data tools, and community-centered policy design. We partner with governments, utilities, nonprofits, and community organizations to identify and address energy inequities, visualize socioeconomic vulnerabilities, and create pathways to an equitable clean energy transition. Our flagship Greenlink Equity Map (GEM) provides decision-makers with critical insights at the census tract level, enabling data-driven strategies that prioritize communities disproportionately burdened by the climate crisis.