BIO
Sam Schechter is Chair of the Communications Department and a member of the Education Council at Douglas College, which is located at multiple campuses in Metro Vancouver. He also continues to be a member of the faculty at the University of the Fraser Valley.
He has taught a wide variety of courses, including public relations, social media, interdisciplinary studies, public speaking, and professional communications.
Previously, he developed and taught social media courses at Royal Roads University and in the Media & Public Relations program at Vancouver Community College.
In August of 2022, Sam published Professional Writing Today: A Functional Approach as an OER textbook for first-year post-secondary students taking professional writing courses.
Before entering academia, Sam worked in politics and government for more than a decade. In 2005, he was elected as a municipal councillor in the City of North Vancouver. He also, at various times, worked as a campaign manager, as party fundraising staff, as campaign communications staff, and as government political staff (for one opposition MLA and for one cabinet minister).
Sam is happily married with two young children. He and his wife are both avid travelers and were certified as wine stewards by the International Sommelier Guild.
ACADEMIC CAREER
course instruction and curriculum development
Sam has served as an instructor at four post-secondary institutions in British Columbia: Douglas College, the University of the Fraser Valley, Royal Roads University, and Vancouver Community College. He has both taught and developed curriculum for continuing education courses, undergraduate courses, and courses at the master's degree level.
2019 - Present
DOUGLAS COLLEGE
At Douglas College, Sam sits on the College's Education Council and is Chair of the Communications Department. Connecting his professional experience, experience teaching abroad, and interest in interdisciplinary education to his teaching at Douglas College continues to be a professional priority.
2011 - Present
UFV
Sam has taught dozens of sections of more than ten different courses at the University of the Fraser Valley. Most of Sam's courses are focused on public relations, public speaking, and professional writing. A first for the Communications department, Sam also taught one semester abroad at UFV's Chandigarh campus in India.
2011 - 2014
RRU
As associate faculty in the MA in Professional Communications program at Royal Roads University, Sam taught two different versions of PCOM 520. The first version was titled "Academic Writing and Communication"; the second version was titled "Social Media and Digital Communication" and was also developed by Sam.
2009 - 2012
VCC
Sam Schechter designed and taught the original Media and Public Relations program at Vancouver Community College. Over time, the program grew from a stand-alone opportunity for students to take continuing education courses into a more robust set of offerings that were integrated into other program offerings at the College.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Politics. Communications. Consulting.
Before joining academia, Sam worked for over a decade in Canadian politics, including as an elected official in North Vancouver. He has worked on and managed several election campaigns and previously managed the Vancouver office of the Minister of Employment and Investment.
Outside of politics, he also worked in professional communications in the non-profit sector and as a consultant in the non-profit, municipal, and energy sectors.
POLITICS
Elected to North Vancouver City Council in 2005, Sam had previously worked as a campaign manager and separately as political staff for one opposition MLA and one cabinet minister. After serving his term in public office, Sam again managed election campaigns and also worked in the headquarters of the BC New Democratic Party.
COMMS
Sam worked as a communications and fundraising professional during his work in the non-profit sector. His responsibilities included stakeholder relations, media relations, branding, social media and digital media management, graphic design, print production, event planning, and copy writing.
CONSULTING
From time to time, Sam has helped clients in the non-profit, municipal, and energy sectors to advance their organizational needs. His services have included communications planning, investor and stakeholder relations, media strategy, government relations, public relations, and strategic planning.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT SAM
direct quotes from letters of recommendation and anonymous student evaluations
I consider Sam to be the sort of colleague that I want to work with on an ongoing basis.... Everywhere I have worked with Sam, he has contributed to capacity building and the success of young people.
Dr. Craig Keating, Past President, BC NDP
Our students, and indeed our department, have benefited from Sam’s real-world experience and professional insights into workplace communication.
Dr. David Thomson, Associate Professor, UFV
Sam Schechter’s an extraordinary person—the very model of the theoretically adept and critical communications professional we seek.... I give him my strongest recommendation.
Dr. David Black, Associate Professor, RRU
Sam has been phenomenal. He is such a dedicated professor and gives the most detailed and valuable feedback. He is very interactive with the class and engages the whole class in a way that I would not have thought possible through online learning.
Royal Roads University: PCOM 520, 2012
Sam is probably my favourite prof at UFV and I would not have pursued communications as a field of study were it not for his influence.
University of the Fraser Valley: CMNS 125, 2014
Sam's teaching style transcends the course material; he teaches about life, drawing from his own experiences. He is a real teacher, with the exact meaning of the word.
Douglas College:
CMNS 1115, 2020
GET IN TOUCH
Sam Schechter, Chair
Communications Department
Douglas College
Room S2632
700 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, BC V3M 5Z5