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ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Sam Hershey.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ME
Being a dad is the most important part of my life.
When it comes to my son, if I’m asked to volunteer or be supportive in some way, I will say 'yes'. Whether it’s needing a volunteer coach, agreeing to take Taekwondo with him (both currently blue belts) or being asked to run for School Board.
My integrity matters to me.
Whether you agree or disagree with me on an issue, I promise that I will always serve with integrity.
I'm a 'tree hugger'.
In both the figurative and literal sense, I’m a tree hugger. Environmental issues are very important to me and that will be reflected in my focus on green schools.
MY FAMILY
At this very moment, I have a rising second grader at Douglas elementary. His mom, my partner, Dr. Anna Allen is a veterinarian (received her DVM degree from our great Vet school at NC State) who works for the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in the Emergency Programs division. We are also proud parents to three dogs and one cat.
MY EDUCATION
I am a proud product of Fairfax County public schools in northern Virginia. From kindergarten through 12th grade, I was fortunate to attend schools that were very diverse, (my high school was even written about in National Geographic). After graduating high school in 1994, I went to and graduated from North Carolina State University with a BA in Political Science. Go Pack!
When my son was born, I was the primary caretaker. At the time I decided to go back to school as well and I earned my MBA from Queens University of Charlotte.
MY VOLUNTEERING
I’ve done a fair amount of volunteering in my life because I’ve been fortunate enough to have the time to do so. In 2021 I was recognized by the City of Raleigh with a Fred Fletcher Volunteer Award for Outstanding Project Volunteer. I spent a lot of time removing barbed wire from Annie Louis Wilkerson Nature Preserve and would get groups to assist. I’m proud that my son’s Pack did the adopt-a-park through the city at Wilkerson Nature Preserve this last year as well.
MY WORK
When I’m not getting my son to school (or activity) or volunteering, I’m running my startup, Just in Case Planning. Our focus is on end of life planning. It’s a tough subject, but one that really helps families during the toughest of times. While we are in the early stages I’m proud of the work we are doing to help others.
PUBLIC SCHOOL HISTORY
For just over two decades (the last 18 years in Wake County) I’ve been involved with public school athletics either as a coach or official. Over that time, including ten years at Wake Forest HS, I’ve met a lot of great people within the Wake County system and have some wonderful memories from coaching softball and wrestling and officiating football, wrestling and soccer . To this day, I love hearing from, and seeing the successes in life, of student-athletes I was privileged to have coached and catching up with those we competed against.
These days, with my son in the early stages of his public school journey, I’ve added Douglas Elementary Board Advisory Council representative, PTA treasurer and PTA Health and Wellness chair to my public school resume.