Samantha Lien
About me
Prior to joining the Wikimedia Foundation, I worked for the Seattle Center's Cultural Programming department. As a Cultural Programs Assistant, I wrote and shared stories of diverse communities in the Seattle area to raise awareness for the department's annual festival programming. Before then, I was at Santa Clara University where I received my B.A. in Communications and a minor Political Science. My time at Santa Clara was driven by a passion for social justice learning. I was able to explore a variety of different courses that allowed my to connect my love of language and words to the broader world, including courses related to the criminal justice system, persons with disabilities, the American public education system, and others. As a Teacher's Assistant and Library Assistant at SCU, I also became a research enthusiast and have enjoyed carrying this into my current role as Communications Manager.
My work
As Communications Manager, I get to take on a variety of different responsibilities on the Communications team to help people understand the movement and raise awareness of Wikimedia in the world. I vet and respond to press inquiries, often talking to journalists by phone or email about Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects, the Foundation, and the Wikimedia movement. I set up, plan, and prep for interviews and public speaking opportunities with Foundation staff and volunteer contributors. I tell stories and announcements about the movement through coordinated press outreach and other materials like blog posts, press releases, etc. I'm fortunate to be able to work within a passionate team and a network of volunteers and affiliates around the world who tell the Wikimedia story to global audiences.
Contact me
Email: slien@wikimedia.org