Our Team
Debika is a social impact consultant and leadership coach. She has decades of experience leading teams and working with nonprofits, foundations, B Corps, government agencies, academic centers, and corporations interested in building and amplifying their social impact.
Before starting Marigold Strategy, she served as Associate Director at TCC Group, a national social impact consulting firm, for 7.5 years. While at TCC, she worked on trust- based organizational development and strategy with nonprofits and foundations around the US and globally. She partnered with hundreds of clients across the social sector ranging from small grassroots organizations to large national and global entities like National Audubon Society, NAMI, UnidosUS, and Walmart Foundation.
Prior to her consulting work, Debika served as the Deputy Director at Harmony Institute (now Harmony Labs), a data-driven research center and technology lab seeking to understand media's impact on society. She led its pioneering work in entertainment evaluation as well as helped launch its first of its kind interactive online tool for exploring the social impact of documentary film. Debika also served as Assistant Director at Columbia University’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED). During her time at CRED, she implemented a multi-million-dollar grant, conducted original research, co-authored a highly acclaimed communications guide, and led outreach efforts.
Debika is a certified Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) coach. She has a graduate degree in public policy from University of Washington and an undergraduate degree in environmental science from Barnard College, Columbia University. She sits on the board of two organizations - a regional cultural nonprofit co-founded by her parents 50 years ago and a national youth focused environmental stewardship nonprofit.
Debika Shome
Samantha helps mission-driven organizations turn their core values into strategies and structures that drive lasting impact. For decades she has partnered with nonprofits, Foundations, B Corps, government agencies, and corporations around the world to strengthen capacity, clarify direction, and create systems that reflect what matters most. Her work brings together strategy and organizational design—facilitating conversations that surface shared values and translating them into practical plans for growth and sustainability.
Before starting Marigold Strategy, she served as a Senior Consultant at TCC Group, a national social impact consulting firm, for 6 years. While at TCC, she designed social impact strategy to help organizations deepen impact, strengthen capacity, and sustain and diversify revenue. Samantha has guided hundreds of organizations, from small community-focused groups to large national networks, through strategic planning, governance redesign, and leadership development. Recent collaborations include the Connecticut Health Foundation, Healthcare Georgia Foundation, the Bard Prison Initiative, and the American Association for People with Disabilities. She has also supported initiatives such as re-visioning program guidelines for the Scherman Foundation, facilitating inclusive strategic planning for Rebus and Code for Science & Society, and leading retreats for the Urban Resource Institute to strengthen trust, communication, and collaborative decision-making.
Before founding Marigold Strategy, Samantha built the Haiti Development Institute to help community-based organizations grow and thrive, served as principal partnership manager for a collective-impact initiative, and advised international donors at the Boston Foundation on strategic philanthropy.
Prior to her consulting career, she supported the growth of the Haiti Development Institute by supporting community-based organizations. She also served as the principal partnership manager for a collective impact partnership with diverse partners including The State University of New York, African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency, YouthBuild International, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and ECODA. She also previously worked at the Boston Foundation where she advised international donors on their giving strategy.
Samantha holds a M.A.L.D. in International Business and Development Economics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a B.A. in French from Amherst College. Samantha also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Maine Youth Thriving and Pregnancy After Loss Support.
