Fast 15: Samantha Arroyos
by May 13, 2019 10:31 am 1,849 views
Samantha Arroyos comes from a heritage of servant leadership. Her grandmother had only a third-grade education but worked hard to give Samantha’s dad a better life, enabling him to eventually earn a doctorate. Likewise, Arroyos says her motivation is to serve others. That began as a child helping her sisters with math, and it continues today as chief of staff for Grandslam Performance Associates, where she helps people become better leaders and teaches them “how to grow themselves and help their companies.”
At 16, she began working as an intern at Grandslam, the company her father founded, offering ideas through the company’s online platform. That experience of “sharing ideations and having them commented on by high executives at Fortune 500 companies” empowered her “as a Latina and as a woman.” She realized she could not only learn from them, but they could learn from her as well. “We’re stronger when we work together,” she said.
Upon graduating cum laude from the University of Arkansas with a degree in business management (focused on leadership) and a minor in marketing, Arroyos was promoted to her current position where she manages office operations and does consulting and leadership development coaching.
Grandslam partner David Collins said Arroyos has earned a strong reputation with her colleagues and clients as a “go-to resource” and adviser.
Practicing servant leadership enables Arroyos to work well with those older than she, noting that every generation from Generation Z to Baby Boomers is represented at Grandslam. “I love working with people of different generations because it’s another type of diversity, and I’m able to hear and learn from all of them.”
As the first Millennial hired at Grandslam six years ago, Arroyos is never hesitant to share her ideas, but also said, “I’m also the first one, if my ideas get shot down, I come with more.”
In an effort to encourage diversity, Arroyos served on the board for the University of Arkansas student chapter of Association for Latino Professionals for America. In 2018, she was unanimously confirmed by the Fayetteville City Council to serve on the city’s Civil Rights Commission.
In her free time, Arroyos enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing and bouldering. She loves to travel and plans to visit all 50 states by the time she is 30.