Brakeyshia R. Samms

Policy researcher and advocate

Brakeyshia R. Samms is a researcher and advocate engaging in budget and tax policy debates, with the goal of helping all levels of government implement fair policies and abide by sound fiscal practices. During the tax return season, she serves her community as an IRS-certified volunteer tax preparer, where she helps both individuals and families prepare and file their income tax returns. 

Currently based in Washington, DC, she works at a think-tank and researches the intersection of federal and state fiscal policy. Before working in DC, she spent two years in Austin, TX, as a State Policy Fellow with the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP), through the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ post-graduate fellowship program. At CPPP, she conducted research, published reports, and presented legislative testimony on Texas budget and tax policy policies. In addition, she was the lead organizer for Texas Forward, a coalition of over 70 organizations that advocated for fair budget and tax policies in Texas.

She has held internships with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Democratic National Committee, The Democratic Congressional Campaign, the City of Fairfax, VA, and the United States Department of Justice. She was a Fall 2011 Bill Archer Fellow and a 2016 New Leaders Council – Austin Fellow. She has written for The Huffington Post, The Dallas Morning News, and The Austin American-Statesman. 

She earned her Master of Public Policy degree from George Mason University in May 2014 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and History from The University of Texas at Tyler in May 2012. She is a proud native of Carrollton, TX.