Historian - writer - researcher

Samantha M.
Williams, Phd

Samantha M. Williams is a historian and writer who studies the Native American boarding school system in the United States. She has a PhD in U.S. history from the University of California, Santa Cruz and additional degrees in international affairs and political science. Samantha has conducted extensive research on the history of the Native American boarding school system, and in May 2022 her history of the Stewart Indian School, which operated between 1890 and 1980 in Carson City, Nevada, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. She has a strong interest in public history and the commemoration of Native American boarding schools, and worked as a consultant for the Nevada Indian Commission, which opened the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum on the former school grounds in 2020. As a consultant, she conducted extensive research on the history of the Stewart School, and also worked as an editor and writer for museum exhibit texts. Samantha also has expertise in the fields of oral history, archival research and organization, and teaching.

Currently, she is working on a second book connected with the history of the Stewart Indian School. This book, “In Their Owns Words: Stewart Indian School Student Writings and Reflections,” focuses on essays, editorials, speeches, and personal stories written by Stewart Indian School students spanning nearly the entire ninety years the school was open. It also features new interviews with Stewart School alumni on their experiences at and memories of the school. Samantha’s work will also be featured in upcoming edited volumes on U.S. family history and healthcare.

You can order Assimilation, Resilience, and Survival: A History of the Stewart Indian School, 1890-2020 on the University of Nebraska Press website. Use the code 6AS22 for a 40% discount!!

Previously, Samantha’s career focused on international affairs and U.S. foreign policy. She worked as an intelligence analyst for nearly a decade at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland, where she wrote intelligence reports and assessments, supervised teams of up to 35 intelligence analysts and linguists, and worked as an adjunct instructor at the National Cryptologic School. Samantha also spent two years working at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., where she organized international and local conferences, drafted reports on international conflict resolution, and conducted research on reconciliation in the Balkans.

Originally from Sacramento, California, Samantha now lives just outside of her hometown with her husband and kids. In her spare time she likes to cook, read, and spend as much time with her family as she can.