Sam Stephens was recently named executive director of the Global Soap Project, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that collects and recycles discarded soap from hotels to help people in developing nations.

Stephens, 32, is the founder and a member of the board of  the International Center for Sustainable Fundraising. Previously, he was an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech and later  vice president of  external relations for Volunteers of America Utah.

To date, more than 100 tons of soap has been collected and distributed to nations such as Uganda, Kenya, Haiti and Ecuador.

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Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)