Samantha Miller Gurski

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT SAMANTHA MILLER GURSKI

Most learning programs describe what they teach. I focus on what changes. My work sits at the intersection of workforce development, professional education, and organizational strategy — helping institutions and employers turn the people they have into the people they need. I lead a multi-unit, self-sustaining learning enterprise at Columbus State University serving learners annually across corporate, government, military, and international audiences. Under my direction, the portfolio reached its strongest financial performance in over a decade — driven by strategic redesign, revenue diversification, and disciplined cost management. Across my career I\'ve designed and scaled programs that connect real skill gaps to real outcomes — examples include custom functional training for 450+ insurance claims analysts, data analytics and drone maintenance programs embedded into military performance evaluations, statewide workforce initiatives, and embedded industry credential pathways that translate academic value into employer-legible skills. I don\'t build programs for programs\' sake. I build them because the gap between where someone is and where they could be is usually closer than it looks — and the right learning architecture can close it. I\'m a doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia studying learning systems governance and workforce-aligned credentials, a PMP, an ICF-trained coach, and a presenter at UPCEA and the Georgia Tech College of Lifetime Learning Symposium. I co-chair the Georgia Board of Regents Advisory Committee on Public Service and Continuing Education and serve as VP of Programming for the PMI Columbus Chapter. I believe education is one of the most powerful tools for expanding opportunity — not as an abstraction, but as something I\'ve lived as a first-generation college student. The work I care most about helps people build the skills, confidence, and pathways they need to improve their lives, strengthen organizations, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.