Bio
Samuel was born in Accra, Ghana, and lived there before immigrating to Atlanta, Georgia with his family of origin during the 1996 Olympics. After graduating from Benjamin E. Mays High School, where he received the most distinguished Benjamin E. Mays Character Award, Samuel started his own saxophone tutoring and performance business. While providing alternatives for creative expression to youth in Southwest Atlanta, Samuel served as a mentor and program associate at Youth Entrepreneurs Georgia where he helped students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and start their own businesses. Sam was also blessed to study saxophone with Ryan Kilgore, tour with Sonnie Badu, and share the gift with music to bring people joy and healing. In 2012, Sam was named a Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship in partnership with Goldman Sachs.
Sam now lives in New Jersey with his brilliant and lovely spouse, The Rev. LaThelma A. Yenn-Batah, and their beloved daughter and son. While serving as the Manager of Pastoral Care and Clinical Pastoral Education at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, Sam serves on the Workplace Violence Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. While loving his family to life, Sam educates and mentors seminary students who are preparing for pastoral ministry, mentors young men in his community, and creates and performs music with his bands in ATL and Philly.
Samuel earned a B.A. in Economics (French minor) at Georgia State University. He completed his graduate studies at Princeton Theological Seminary where he received a Master of Divinity and was awarded the Robert P. Goodlin award for excellence in clinical chaplaincy after completing a chaplaincy internship. Soon-thereafter, Sam began and completed a chaplaincy residency where he provided person-centered, multi-faith care of the soul to patients, their families, staff, and physicians
in a critical care unit, eating disorders unit, and multiple diagnoses unit.
Sam is a proudly ordained Minister of Word & Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and a Certified Educator Candidate in the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Yet, first and foremost, Sam is a beloved son of God and servant of all. Sam loves a great comedy show, a movie that moves him to tears, a strong cup of coffee, and collecting records. He looks forward to what God has in store for humankind and continuing to invest his time, talents, and finances in the uplift of all people.