Johnny Sampson

Johnny Sampson is the CSUDH NAGPRA Repatriation Program Coordinator with 20 years of museum and leadership experience. He has expertise working with cultural resources, historical research, and ideating and producing innovative exhibitions and impactful programing that push the boundaries of scholarship and embrace difficult histories.

Before his work with CSUDH, Sampson was the Deputy Director and Chief Curator at the Catalina Museum for Art & History, overseeing the Curatorial, Public Programs and Events, Building Facilities, Security, Insurance, and Maintenance departments. He was responsible for all special and permanent exhibitions and a large collection of fine art, historical objects, and Native American items and archaeological material. He also managed the planning and early implementation phases for the museum's recent capital project, building an Education Center and multi-use gallery.

Sampson has a profound passion for enabling all people to forge personal connections with culture and art. He believes that every historical artifact or work of art contains an inherent narrative of human struggle and inspiration. By nurturing partnerships between leaders, artists, organizations, and community members, Sampson strives to create a platform to use these stories as the catalyst for understanding—to engage individuals, uplift communities, inspire innovation, foster equity, and create opportunities locally and internationally.