Samantha Vance

Sam Vance is the Manager of Surveys & Research at ERC, where she leads data-driven initiatives that help organizations build stronger workplaces and make more informed people decisions.

As a key member of the Delivery Team, she partners with clients to measure employee engagement, organizational health, and leadership effectiveness, translating complex data into actionable strategies that improve culture, retention, and overall performance. She also partners closely with private equity firms and their senior leadership teams to drive meaningful change across portfolio companies through strategic people initiatives, leadership insights, and data-driven solutions that accelerate growth and enhance organizational performance.

Samantha serves as a subject matter expert for ERC’s employee engagement consulting practice and oversees the design, management, and analysis of member and client surveys. She also plays an important role in enhancing ERC’s research capabilities, strengthening analytics processes and developing new products that elevate the client experience. In addition, she supports the continued success of the NorthCoast 99 awards program through research, evaluation, and analytics.

Her areas of expertise include employee engagement, industrial-organizational psychology, advanced data analysis, psychometric research, and advising private equity-backed organizations on workforce strategy and organizational effectiveness. Sam was recognized as a 2024 Smart Business Dealmakers Rising Star for her professional achievements and leadership.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in business administration from Ohio University and a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology research from Cleveland State University.

Sam most enjoys partnering with organizations to deliver insights that create meaningful, measurable change. She finds it especially rewarding to see companies succeed when they use the right data to guide decisions. Outside of work, Samantha enjoys drawing, painting, and sculpting, and spending time with her dog, Motown.