Sam Blatt is an Economic Development Director for the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, serving in that role since August 2019. In his role as Director in the Economic Development Department, Sam is focused on increasing quality jobs and investment in Miami-Dade County through business attraction, retention, and expansion efforts.

Prior to his tenure at the Beacon Council, Sam was the Economic Development Manager for the City of North Miami, Florida. As a leading millennial economic development professional, Sam is focused on adapting the economic development field to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century.

Volunteer Work

Sam is an active member of United Way of Miami-Dade, the County’s largest charity organization. He serves on its Public Policy Committee to promote United Way’s policy priorities at the Local, State and Federal levels. Additionally, Sam is a member of the Young Leaders Executive Committee, the leadership arm of United Way of Miami-Dade’s Young Leaders, a group focused on engaging Miami’s under 40 professionals in the charity’s good works.

Awards & Recognition

Sam has received numerous recognitions for his work in the economic development field. In 2019, he won the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Young Economic Development Professional of the Year award. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recognized Sam as the Small Business Advocate of the Year for the entire State of Florida, as well as the South Florida region in 2018.

Education

Sam earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Indiana University, and is expected to complete an MBA from Johnson & Wales University in December of 2019. In 2018, Sam earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), the professional designation for economic developers. At the time of his certification, Sam was the youngest person to have ever earn the CEcD designation.