Fill Your Spirit. Breathe Your Purpose. Heal Your Body.

Samantha Anderson is a Berkshire-based executive leader with 30 years of experience across the nonprofit and private sectors. She now serves full time as Executive Director of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires (NPC), with a distinguished background in mission-driven leadership, philanthropy, and organizational strategy.

Samantha brings to the NPC a deep understanding of the nonprofit sector, a strong commitment to community, and a clear sense of what it takes to lead an organization into its next chapter. She is honored to guide the work ahead and to build on the extraordinary legacy of founder Liana Toscanini.

Through her leadership, Samantha creates meaningful impact through community-centered vision, trusted stewardship, and purposeful organizational growth.

About Samantha

Prior to her role at NPC, Samantha led Essential~Wholeness LLC in West Stockbridge, MA where she built a trusted practice in philanthropic advising, nonprofit capacity-building, and health coaching. 

Previously, she served in leadership roles at Heading for Change, the Jewish Funders Network and Jewish Women INVEST, Arabella Advisors, Skoll World Forum, and the Yale School of Management-Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures. 

She has also provided philanthropic advisory services to high-net-worth individuals and families throughout her career, and holds certification as a 21/64 philanthropic advisor. Through this work, she supported individuals, leaders, and institutions in clarifying purpose, strengthening resilience, and advancing meaningful change.

Her career has been both local and international in scope, with experience designing programs that respond to community needs, grow and diversify revenue, and elevate organizational visibility—from Berkshire County nonprofits to global philanthropy initiatives. She is known for pairing strategic rigor with a grounded, humane approach to leadership.

At the heart of her work is this belief: sustainable success starts with being true to yourself. Whether guiding organizations or individuals, she brings compassionate listening and a belief that healing and purpose emerge when we reconnect with the wisdom already within us.Samantha is the co-author of Beyond Resilience to Rootsilience: A Revolutionary Women's Leadership Framework for Balance, Well-being and Success, which offers a groundbreaking approach to leadership helping women leaders cultivate sustainable balance, well-being, and authentic impact in their professional and personal lives.

She is also the co-editor of Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income: A Guide to Successful Enterprise Strategies, a practical resource that equips nonprofit leaders with proven strategies for diversifying revenue streams, launching successful earned-income ventures, and building financial sustainability without compromising mission.

Through her writing, Samantha bridges leadership development, organizational strategy, and personal wellness, drawing from three decades of experience to create frameworks that empower lasting change.

She holds a B.A. from Tufts University and an M.A. in U.S. Women’s History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Samantha is also a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, with additional training in functional medicine, functional nutrition, ReCODE coaching to reverse cognitive decline, SHE RECOVERS coaching to support women from all forms of addiction, Reiki, and Qoya Inspired Movement.

Go Beyond Resilience to Rootsilience

Beyond Resilience to Rootsilience: A Revolutionary Women’s Leadership Framework for Balance, Well-being and Success empowers women leaders to reclaim balance and well-being by decoding the language of our body, behavior, and mind. Our body shows us when we’ve been stretched beyond our limits and knocked out of balance. But what can we do about it, and how can we recognize those first signs?

Beyond Resilience to Rootsilience shows us how.

Learn More!

Samantha’s Books

In collaboration with the Yale School of Management-The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, this comprehensive guide identifies best practices for generating a reliable income stream and ultimately reducing nonprofit organizations' dependence on traditional sources of funding. Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income: A Guide to Successful Enterprise Strategies will teach readers sound business planning strategies that can significantly benefit their organization's internal capacity and financial health.

  • I worked with Samantha while experiencing some difficult life changes and trauma. In addition to offering a caring, listening ear, she always offered ideas gently, allowing me to drive the direction taken. It was clear she didn't have an agenda and treated me as an individual as she listened and provided help. She also remembered session to session what had occurred prior, which not only made me feel cared for, but also illuminated changes I was making.

    ~ Joan

  • Samantha's practice embodies essential-wholeness through her practice of achieving individual well-being. By highlighting the importance of the mind, body, and spirit, her thoughtful feedback encompasses how each element interacts, communicates, and connects with one another for an individual's best outcome.

    ~ Adeline

  • I was fortunate to find Samantha during the COVID-19 pandemic and her insightful guidance has helped me find clarity in this confusing time. Her ability to hone in on underlying patterns and behaviors with a gentle touch has been extremely beneficial.

    ~ Margot

  • Samantha was able to calm my anxious heart with her peaceful, serene guidance and experience. She compassionately navigated the ReCODE Bredesen Program with me. Her services then evolved into supportive care which encompassed all aspects of my wellbeing, not just the protocol. She enlightened my soul, and I am filled with gratitude for all of her encouragement.

    ~ Sheri

  • I started working with Samantha in the midst of a health crisis, during which time I was bombarded with medical information. Our sessions helped me to process and organize this information, and create a plan for how to most efficiently apply it towards healing. Samantha was incredibly supportive throughout our work, and was an essential sounding board. I highly recommend working with her if you're looking for wisdom and direction along your health journey.

    ~ Lucie

  • I treasure working with Samantha

    “I treasure working with Samantha on my family’s philanthropy. She is a brilliant connector. She helps our family manage and avoid conflicts to seek understanding and consensus. She is a subject matter expert in so many areas and has great research skills. I appreciate her ethical nature and acumen around socially responsible investing and the needs and challenges that nonprofits face. She also serves as a leadership coach for our family members and is happy to take on so many hats from admin to program administration and design. She has a can-do attitude and gets things done in a quick, efficient, thoughtful and transparent manner.” ”

    — Lendri Purcell, co-President, Jonas Philanthropies