Samson Carter

I am Samson Carter, and leadership has been the backbone of my career from the start. Over the past decade, I have led teams of all sizes, from fast-paced kitchens to cross-functional engineering groups tackling cybersecurity challenges for the U.S. Department of the Navy. Managing people, projects, and high-pressure environments is where I thrive.

What drives me is building strong teams, solving hard problems, and delivering results when it matters most. I bring a unique combination of operational know how, technical expertise, and people first leadership to every project I touch. With years of real world experience managing budgets, schedules, risk, and stakeholder relationships, I am not just aiming to be a good project manager, I am working to be the one teams trust to lead them through their biggest challenges and wins.

One of the moments that shaped how I lead happened while managing a critical event for Disney’s NBA 2020 Bubble. Overnight, our kitchen team had to adjust to strict health protocols, massive production demands, and a complete shift in how we operated. I pulled my team together, rewrote our entire workflow, and kept morale high even as the pressure kept climbing. We not only met every deadline, we became the group other teams called for help when things got tight. That experience taught me that great leadership is not just about the plan on paper; it is about adapting fast, communicating clearly, and staying grounded when the stakes are high.

I bring over ten years of leadership experience across high-stakes environments, from managing operations and large teams in the hospitality industry to leading engineering and cybersecurity projects in the technology sector. Early in my career, I directed teams of over 100 employees at Chick-fil-A and managed culinary operations for major events at Walt Disney World, including the NBA 2020 Bubble and Disney’s 50th Anniversary.

Building on that foundation, I transitioned into program and project management within the tech world, developing cybersecurity risk assessment tools for the U.S. Department of the Navy, managing machine learning and software development projects at the University of Florida, and leading diverse teams at Cherry On Tech. I have a proven track record in project execution, operational efficiency, risk management, and cross-functional leadership, all backed by formal training and certifications like CAPM and Agile Project Management.

I am earning my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Florida, graduating May 2025 with a 3.91 GPA. My work focuses on software engineering, cybersecurity, systems programming, and project management, building a strong technical foundation to lead teams and drive real world impact.

Before shifting into tech, I earned an Associate of Science in Culinary Management from Valencia College and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Education from the University of Central Florida. My diverse academic background pushes me to think differently, lead with clarity, and build solutions that work both on paper and in practice.